Just a Normal Day in the Tactician's Life: SNAFU
by Hollownerox
Summary: The battle is over, Robin has struck the final blow that has denied the Fell Dragon's existence. However his efforts did not result in the end he had expected. Instead he was sent back into the past three years before he first met Chrom. Follow Robin in this tale as the world continues to show its love for his misery, along with his best friend... Grima? A.U
1. Chapter 1

**I Do Not Own Fire Emblem: **This is a purely fictional piece of writing that I have written in my free time, I do not own any characters, settings, or plot details mentioned in this story. Also, any references to other works are done so only as allusions that serve to provide additional immature humor.

Author's Note: This is my first fan fiction piece that I will submit to this website; though it is not the first story I have written mind you, it will be the first one I release to the public. Please be gentle.

With that said I will just like to say I am writing this story as mainly a mainly light-hearted story, so don't expect Cerberus syndrome or anything.

**Story will obviously contain spoilers**

**Chapter 1: Those Words Will Define His Existence From Then On**

The wind blew past roughly; each moment was like fighting against the winds of a hurricane as the shepherds continued their desperate battle. The risen were endless; with each one cut down a dozen more took their place, stating their numbers were legion truly felt like an understatement at this point. However what the Risen had in quantity they lost in quality. Though their numbers were overwhelming, the shepherds, veterans of combat, were able to quell them quickly enough to prevent any real advantage from. However this battle was far from being a stalemate. If left to a battle of attrition it was clear who would be the victor.

Robin, the silver haired tactician the makeshift army has come to know and love, took all this into account as he tried to formulate a plan within his mind. From what he has observed so far, considering the terrain, enemy numbers, and general combat ability of his comrades, he deduced that the chances of them coming out of this alive were… not very optimistic. And that was not even taking into account the fact that they were also constantly under assault from a massive dragon's head that happened to be controlled by his doppelgänger/evil twin/ himself.

It was times like this that he was seriously contemplating whether or not he should have considered being a dentist.

"Let us see if we can improve the situation a tad, shall we", Robin pondered to himself.

Frederick, Owain, and Gregor were defending the rear, and performing admirably at that. Virion and Gaius are doing a decent job protecting the flanks, though it looks like Vivron has resorted to using his sword instead of his bow,

"About damn time he figured out he was wasting his arrows", Robin muttered under his breath.

As for Chrom and Lucina, they were leading the frontal charge, as expected of their fearless leaders; however…

As Robin focused his eyesight he could see that, just by almost a minuscule amount, it appeared as though the number of Risen were thinning as the frontal units slashed their way through. Slowly, but steadily, their numbers were in fact decreasing on that side. Could it be possible? Is it there a chance they could breakthrough? But as Robin continued observing his eyes locked with another set that was similarly watching the situation.

With a pair of eyes that gleamed with the same color as his own, there stood Grima. His face a perfect mirror of Robin's own features, with the exception of one crucial detail; plastered upon his look-alikes visage was a demonically self-satisfied smirk.

"No, we aren't making a breakthrough; he's intentionally diverting his forces. The dastard _wants_ us to come to him."Robin mumbled as he analyzed the current change in events.

**HEAR MY WORDS AWAKENER!**

_Oh for the love of… What NOW!? _Robin thought irritably as Naga's voice penetrated his mind.

**Grima's servants will beset you to no end. Dispatch him as soon as you are able!**

… _Excellent observation milady Naga, truly such unprecedented tactical genius could only come from a goddess such as yourself. Robin deadpanned to himself._

**Once the fell one is weakened, a choice will await you…**

Oh, well this is new.

**If Chrom lets fall the final blow, Grima shall survive but return to his slumber…**

"So be it" Chrom states resolutely.

Well that does not seem like a permanent solution at all…, the Tactician thought

**If Robin strikes in his stead, both his life and Grima's are forever over. Only in this way may the fell dragon be destroyed for good and all.**

"…. Really this goddess of ours is so naïve, after all, that choice… is not really a choice at all" Robin sighed to himself

After reaffirming his resolve, Robin admitted that the goddess did have a point in her first statement; there would be no end to this unless they finish this quickly and decisively. And so Robin chose the most decisive course of action he could think of. Giant explosions.

"Chrom, Lucina!" Robin shouted towards them, immediately catching their attention. "Dodge!"

"What", was the only word the pair was able to voice out before their instincts kicked in. They both dropped down to the ground and only barely evaded the VERY large bolt of lightning that surged past them; a bolt of lightning that was so pumped full of raw power that it reduced the Risen blocking their path to ashes.

"Come", Robin quickly stated as he sprinted towards them. "We don't have much time, that gap will fill up soon!"

The pair nodded as they followed his lead and rushed through the dense cloud of smoke that followed Robin's spell.

"Pardon my rudeness Robin, but I must say it would have been preferable had you given us a warning before launching an overcharged spell in our direction", Lucina narrowed her eyes as she chastised the Tactician.

"I do not see where the issue lies, I do believe I did warn you as I did so", said Tactician replied in a matter of fact tone.

"Ah, forgive us; we may not have elaborated as much as we should", Chrom spoke as his face took a similar appearance as his daughter. "It would have been preferable if you had given us a warning_ before_ launching an overcharged spell in our direction, not after you had already thrown it."

"Details details, I'm sure you would have been fine if you had been hit. Knowing you two it would have given barely a scratch." Robin stated nonchalantly.

Both Chrom and Lucina proceeded to turn their heads back towards the direction of ground zero, and similarly raised their eyebrows as they faced forwards once more.

Perhaps Grima was having a bit more influence on their friend than they previously had thought…

* * *

After encountering minimal numbers Risen that sought to hinder their progress, the trio had finally reached their destination. At the apex of the dragon's back upon which they rode, stood Grima.

Grima, the anti-thesis of Naga, the unholy god of dystopia, the black dragon that haunts the world, the eternal plague upon reality, and the puppy kicker incarnate; there stood the greatest threat humanity has ever known as a mocking mirror image of Robin.

"**_So, before we start this whole 'heroic final battle' thing, anyone feel inclined to share how they're doing right now_**_._" Grima cheerfully exclaimed.

The out of the blue question, as well as the cheerful demeanor Grima was displaying, threw off two of the trio. Robin was the exception since he was used to Grima's faux sincerity by now.

"May I ask why you consider such information relevant at this time", Lucina voiced out through gritted teeth. Seeing the omnicidal being that utterly destroyed her life acting so… jovial, disturbed the time-traveler to no end. "After-all, are you not going to simply slaughter us the very chance you get?"

"**_Oh do not be mistaken, I still intend to give you all an excruciatingly painful death that will make you regret the day you apes saw yourselves fit to desecrate my world. With the exception of dear Robin boy over there where I plan to give him an excruciatingly painful life, but that's later on the agenda._**_" _Grima once again replied in his joyful tone. "**_However I see no harm in being polite before introducing a mortal to the endless horrors that await them, it is simple common courtesy you see_**_._"

And with that said Grima made a simple hand gesture, and along with it came the freakishly large dragon's head that sought to end them. And so the final battle commenced.

* * *

As the battle waged on Robin was becoming increasingly optimist about their odds of winning. Each strike forced Grima back, each time he fired off a blast of dark energy the blow was blocked and the force countered back with interest. Most of all they saw that Grima was not invincible, they could win, they could prevent the future that destiny sought to bound them in.

There, a swift swipe of her blade and Lucina has Grima knocked backwards. The monster is down on its knees, the end has finally come.

"…**_NNGH…AAAAUGHHH…"_**

"Now Robin!" Chrom shouts towards me. "This is our chance!"

"I'm going to finish this!" he roars

"No, no you will not Chrom", Robin whispers to himself.

For this choice, was really no choice at all was it not?

Robin raises his hand, and builds up the energy for what may be the last spell he shall ever cast.

"… Robin?!" Chrom exclaims "Wait, What—"

"…**_WHAT… WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"_**

"You know, for once I'm glad you and I are the same." Robin says in the most serene tone he has ever spoken. "Now I can give my life to protect those I care for..."

"…**_YOU… WOULD… NOT DARE!"_**

"I would and I will. The evils you would visit on this world are unthinkable" Robin continues as he maintains the power within his palm. "In some way, I—we share the blame."

And with that statement the power in Robin's palm had reached its peak.

"It's only right we meet our end together!" Robin shouts out as he hurls the mass of energy towards the cowering Grima.

"**_NOOOOOOOO!"_**

And with that final blow the dragon's head roars its death throes, and the apparition that resembled Robin fades away into nothingness; and Robin too, is gradually disappearing along with them.

"Robin! No!" Chrom cries out, the sorrow he feels punctuated with every syllable.

"Thank you, Chrom. For… everything…" Robin replies sadly, as the last parts of his existence start to fade away. "Tell the others… my last thoughts… were of them…"

"Robin, wait!" Lucina rushes towards him, his eyes meeting hers as she calls his name.

"May we meet again, in a better life…"

And with one last gesture of his hand, a final wave goodbye, the Tactician vanished from that world, as if he never was there in the first place…

* * *

He felt himself falling. All around him there is nothing but darkness, an eternal abyss that he continued to sink into. He was barely conscious; vaguely aware of what was happening only feeling the sensation of falling.

…No, not falling, this sensation was more akin to, sinking, much like how one would feel as they drown within the ocean. He was slipping deeper and deeper into a bottomless sea.

His eyes open, he gazed into the abyss around him. And as he did so, he felt something in there, gaze back.

Then his world was suddenly filled with light once more, and from that moment on, his reality forever changed.

* * *

A cool breeze swept over Robin as he slowly regained consciousness. As he opened his eyes he was met with a familiar sight. A field filled with a vast layer of grass, trees littered here and there, withered from the autumn weather.

"Well this isn't a place I recognize…" muttered Robin as he tried to get up, but stumbled as a sudden wave of pain pieced through his body.

"Ow, ow, ow", Robin stuttered out as he fell back down, "Damn, this must be how Jason felt after Joker beat the crap out of him during that whole Death In The Family thing…"

Robin paused after he muttered that sentence. Who the hell was Jason? What in Naga's name was the "Death In The Family"? His brain started to ache as he tried to shuffle through his memories. After three more headaches, Robin decided to just save his introspection for a later date. For now he needed to figure out what happened. The last thing he remembered was blasting Grima to oblivion, and slowly having his body fade away. Killing Grima was supposed to wipe out both of their existences in that realm, but from the looks of it his being was not so much erased as it was… moved out of that world.

"Could it be?"

If he were to believe his intuition, then that would mean that he went back in time.

It was most certainly a possibility, and from his experiences with Lucina and the rest he knew it was more likely than not. However it would appear as though his situation differs from there's. Now that he inspected himself, his body was visibly younger than he was used too. It was not that he was physically brought back, but more like his mind merged with that of his past self's.

Robin sighed to himself and lifted up his hand to rub his weary eyes, only to freeze as he gazed at the back of his hand. There, etched into his flesh, was the mark of Grima.

"Oh no, no, no, no…" Robin repeated endlessly. It wasn't possible; the mark of Grima should have disappeared! Gone along with the monster itself when Robin had struck the final blow, its sign should have vanished from his hand. Unless Grima had ended up just like Robin, not destroyed but exiled to the past.

Robin suddenly began to panic. If Grima ended up in the past then that means all their actions were for naught, he could not let all their efforts go in vain! But how to find him, there was no possible way to…

**_HERE'S GRIMA!_**

"_HOLY &#&&#$%*!"_

Robin's mental breakdown was suddenly interrupted when the bombastic noise tore through his thoughts.

Robin shot up as the demonic voice suddenly echoed out within his mind.

**_So how's it going? Been awhile since you blasted me out of existence old pal; life treating you as horribly as always?_**

Robin was having a dilemma, on one hand he was relieved that he had found where Grima was; on the other hand he was not at all comfortable with where the dragon had chosen to reside.

_What. In. The. Hell. Are you doing inside my head?_

**_Why don't look in that mirror you always keep on you? After all you're the jerk who sent us both back into this boring excuse of a past!_**

Robin raised his eyebrow in sheer disbelief of that sentence.

_You believe me to be a jerk?! You, the mass murdering omnicidal dragon god, deems it fit to call me the jerk?_

**_No. I think you're an asshole; I was just trying to be polite. Jerk._**

Robin slammed his palms into his face at that.

* * *

"Ok, so let me get this straight", Robin said out loud irritably, he was tired of having his mental chat with the devil, "So when I blasted you away, instead of killing both of us like I wanted, it instead sent us back to the past. Except instead of sending us back to when I first met Chrom, we instead got sent back three years earlier; with you shoved into my skull for the ride. Everything right so far?

**_Your summary of what I just said is quite exemplary. Truly your ability to be able to recall words two minutes after they were stated was what caused my downfall; would you like a cookie for you efforts?_**

_If it was possible to beat myself to death with my own skull, I would do so just to shut you up._

**_I take it you don't want the cookie._**

Robin chose to ignore that rebuttal. "As if our situation could not get any worse, we were not dropped off in the Ylisse, but instead we ended up in the Valmese Empire. And the Valmese Empire, if memory serves me right, is not exactly the best place for us to be since we value our lives.

**_Of course. After all, one does not simply walk into Mordor._**

Robin frowned at that sentence. "Stop that." He stated flatly.

**_Stop what?_**

"Stop that, that… referencing you're doing." Robin said, the word naturally coming from his mouth. "I don't have any memory of the phrase you are saying, but for some reason I understand what its definition…"

**_Oh? Do tell what you believe it might mean. _**Grima said, forever using that mocking tone.

Robin sighed, he might as well play along with the fell dragon for now, and it was not as if he had anything better to do at the moment.

"Mordor, in other words a place of unparalleled evil and danger" Robin said, the definition flowing out of his mouth seamlessly. "The phrase, 'One does not simply walk into Mordor' is used to point out the folly of going into such a hazardous place.

**_Go on. There is much more than that my dear Tactician. _**Grima beckoned, not yet satisfied with Robin's explanation.

Robin frowned as he tried to withdraw more information from his brain.

"The phrase itself, is used more often as a joke than not." Robin pressed his palm upon his forehead, as pain started to course through it. "It is used frequently because it was from a famous… movie?" The unknown word slipping off his tongue,

A movie, also known as a motion picture, a thing of entertainment that utilized individual images in rapid order in order to simulate motion. Why did he know of such a thing, such technology did not exist to his knowledge?

**_YES. _**Grima hissed out, as Robin was reaching comprehension.

Such an advanced piece of equipment did not exist yet in this world. Realization dawned upon Robin's face as he finally understood what Grima was alluding to.

**_You understand now dear Tactician?_**

This world… Such a thing does not exist yet in this one.

But it does in others.

"By the gods" Robin mumbled as he tried, and failed, to steady himself. "What did we see?!"

**_What did we see? _**Grima said, amused by his query. **_Why, it would be more appropriate to question what we did not. Dear Tactician, do you not remember what occurred soon after our mutual destruction?_**

_What happened after? I don't remember anything afterwards…_

Robin's train of thought broke once more as the memories burst out of his subconscious.

_A sea of endless darkness, a place seemingly void of anything, yet at the same time felt like it contained everything. As Robin gazed into the abyss he felt something gazing back. And his world was filled with light, light and knowledge of that no mortal was meant to be witness to._

**_Do you see, dear Tactician, because of your act of murdering us, we have bore witness to that which even the gods themselves do not have access to._**

"What, what was it" Robin feebly asked, as his brain was filled with the massive amount of experiences that his subconscious tried to lock away.

**_It has been called many names over the course of history. The Root, the Origin, Akasha, the Great Eye, the Warp, Heaven, Hell. The names all change and the interpretation varies from person to person; but the core remains the same. It is that which is both the beginning and the end, a place where one views the past and future of worlds in a separate reality from our own._**

Despite the sheer insanity of what the Fell Dragon spoke of, Robin instinctively knew it was telling the truth. "What is going to happen to us then? Surely no mere being, dragon god or not, was meant to see such things?" Robin inquired once more.

**_From what I myself can recall from the dimensional rift, there have been others who have similarly gained our… gift?_**

"And? Would you mind sharing what happened to those souls?" Robin replied, pinching his nose out of frustration. Why did it phrase the last word as a question?

**_Well from what I can tell, they either became completely indifferent to their own world after seeing just how insignificant their accomplishments were…_**

_Oh, well isn't that just peachy?_

… **_Or they became completely insane from the possibility that their own world and their hardships was nothing but mere entertainment to those in another reality._**

"…." Was the only response Robin could give as his mouth hung open.

**_Well look on the bright side, at the very least we have transcended to a level even the gods have not yet reached. Not even that bitch Naga can brag about that! _**Grima stated in his usual jovial tone as he did what might have been an attempt to cheer Robin up.

Robin once again, slammed his palms into his face at the Fell Dragon's antics.

**_Well since we're still in exposition dump mode, I might as well say that I noticed something odd back when…_**

_Back when? _Robin mentally beckoned him to continue.

**_Well this is certainly an interesting turn of events._**

Robin was just about to question what the dragon god thought was so interesting when a voice suddenly called out from being him.

"This is an odd place to take a rest, don't you think?" The deep voice echoed behind him.

Robin turned his head around to see just who stumbled upon him. He looked up, and up, and up, and up. Until his gaze settled upon an all too familiar face that stared down upon him, curiosity written across his face.

The Red Devil of Valm, the invincible, the untouchable, the warlord who seeks to unite the world under his rule.

There, entombed within his signature red armor, was Walhart the Conqueror, Emperor of the Valmese nation.

And as the mad cackling sound he would soon to come to know as Grima's laughter echoed within his skull. Robin had only one thing to say, words that would continue to define his existence from then on.

"Fuck my life."

* * *

**Author's Note: **And that's it folks, first chapter done. I admit I felt like it was a bit too long for my tastes, but believe it or not I cut out an extra 2 pages before I settled on this length. And by the way, apologies for any grammatical mistakes, grammar has never been my forte.

If any of you are curious, no, this is most definitely not a fix fic, and our favorite tactician will be saying that phrase at the end like no tomorrow in this story.

As for pairings in this story, honestly I love romance but I kind of suck at writing it myself. If I do decide to add romance into this story, currently I'm leaning towards Lucina, but Anna is also a possibility.

So please review, make sure to leave your feedback! Praises, criticism, I welcome all the evils you have to throw at me! GIVE ME LOVE! (Cookie for whoever gets that reference)

And one more thing before I end this, while I have a general idea of where I want the story to go, I welcome any and all community ideas. If you guys have an awesome scenario you think would fit, feel free to PM me and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can. And if I do in fact incorporate your idea into the story, I will always make sure to credit you in the author's notes for it (Though it must be noted that I will change details to suit my needs).

Until next time my readers. Hollownerox out.


	2. Chapter 2

**I Do Not Own Fire Emblem**: This is a purely fictional piece of writing that I have written in my free time, I do not own any characters, settings, or plot details mentioned in this story. Also, any references to other works are done so only as allusions that serve to provide additional immature humor.

**Author's Note**: Well here we are for round two of this story. Before we get this going I would like to thank all those who have taken the time to review the first chapter, hope you guys continue to read and enjoy the ones I write in the future!

**Story will obviously contain spoilers**

**Chapter 2: This Aint No Place For No Hero**

Unlike most people, Robin did not make a list of the things he least expected to happen in his life. He was a tactician after all, it was in his job description to understand that unexpected occurrences simply happen every now and then, the most he could do was prepare for them. With that said, Robin was relatively certain that had ever created such a list, his current predicament most likely would have been pretty high on its ranking.

Here he was in the heart of Valmese Empire, also known as "Survival of the Fittest" the country, sitting directly across the emperor, Walhart the conqueror, himself, eating dinner with the man; a dinner that happens to consist of salad.

All things considered, this was pretty much the most deserving development in his life to be labeled "worst case scenario".

_After a thorough analysis of my current situation, I have come to the conclusion that there is less than a 40% chance that I can get out of this without losing a limb, or two. _Robin pondered within his mind as he continued to munch on his meal.

_**Hey, at least the salad is great. **_His new roommate (Mindmate?) said, as his already low spirits began to plummet.

_Ah yes, certainly the quality of this meal will make up for the future maiming I am guaranteed to endure within the next hour or so. _

_**Despite your sour attitude, I see you feel no need to restrain yourself in your feasting Tactician.**_

Robin silently agreed with Grima on that one, say what you will about Valm; at the very least their chefs knew how to cook a decent meal.

"Ahem"

Robin's little chat with his inner demon was interrupted as he turned his turned to face the man who called for his attention. There, across the table, was Walhart, who had been sitting patiently for Robin to finish the rest of his food for quite some time now.

_What is with my enemies being so damn polite nowadays?_

"Now that we have completed the pleasantries my friend, would you mind telling me what a Grimleal priest might be doing in the middle of my fair country." Walhart questioned, as he rested his chin upon his entwined fingers, pointing towards Robin's eye emblazoned robes with a free pinkie finger.

_**Oh! The Gendo pose; a classic. **_Grima commented in a genuinely impressed tone.

_Shut up._

"Well you see, um, your majesty;" Robin replied, unused to being so formal with the conqueror, "I'm not actually a part of the Grimleal priesthood. I only wear these robes because I happened to be wearing them on the day I lost my memories; I have no actual kinship with the Plegian nation."

"Oh? So you are an amnesiac then?" Walhart raised his eyebrow in interest.

"Yes your majesty, one day I woke up in a field with no memory of my life before hand, having nothing more than bare minimum knowledge of the world."

_Thanks to a certain someone…_

_**Don't be like that. You need learn to let things go old pal, maybe you should go shopping, buy some new clothes, take a walk, burn down a village, try living a little!**_

_I feel like one of those suggestions was slightly different from the others._

_**You're imagining things.**_

"Interesting, I must say your situation is quite unusual." Walhart said as he interrupted Robin's mental conversation once again. "However, that is not why I have brought you here."

Robin did his best to refrain from gulping as Walhart's gaze on his strengthened.

"You see, my mages tell me that the area we found you in is filled to the brim with remnants of a teleportation spell, one on a level that surpasses any we have now." Walhart continued his explanation. "And they also tell me that this teleportation coincidentally occurred when my mages sensed a major disturbance in the world."

"Sensed?" Robin questioned.

Who the Hell do they think they are, Obi-wan Kenobi? Questioned the mindmates simultaneously .

"Well it is a bit inaccurate to say they sensed it, since it was more along the lines of some of them having their heads spontaneously explode while others started screaming about how "The Sea of Souls" pouring into our world, or my personal favorite "The Destroyer hath cometh!" Walhart said in an amused tone. "Would you care to explain to me why that last one might mean?"

"…. Would you believe me if I said no?" Robin asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Robin, despite my external appearance, I am actually well aware of the myths and legends that the people of this world believe in." Walhart said in a lecturing tone. "The Ylisse have their royalty, each and everyone bearing that mark from their goddess. And all the "Exalted", as they are called, are prophesied to bring peace to the world."

Robin really did not like the direction this was going.

"Which makes me wonder, if those who carry the mark of the Exalted would bring peace to the world…" Walhart then pointed meaningfully towards Robin's right hand. "Then just what would one who bears the mark of the Fell Dragon bring to us?"

"Vegetarianism?" Robin replied meekly.

* * *

Her legs sweeping lazily over the carriage's edge, the woman gazed at the night sky. She was here as a favor for her sister, to investigate the "disturbance" that was felt all around the world. But to be honest that was a secondary priority for her, coming to "investigate" was just an excuse for her to come to this continent. Her real reason was to explore just what this country has to offer for her; after all foreign goods are always in demand. With her finger tapping her chin, the woman smiled as she felt the carriage begin to gradually slow.

* * *

"Fuck my life", Robin said flatly as he watched Walhart pondering on all the information Robin had just given him.

_**I must say, out of all the people you have come to know, I never would have guessed that this man would become your first "Secret Keeper". The Universe truly has a cruel sense of humor.**_

Robin grumbled in agreement. For the past few hours Robin had been explaining his situation, he decided it was best not to attempt deception with the Valmese Emperor. And so he told Walhart all there was to know, his journey's with the Shepherd's, the fact that he is Grima's vessel, the whole time travelling fiasco, and the fact that their journey from the future basically had them tearing open a path in hell to get here.

Oh and there was also the fact that he had caught Walhart's attention with his explanation of other worlds, and was then forced to tell the conqueror, in painful detail, about the different dimensions Robin had seen. Specifically about the military technology, this, in hindsight, could have possibly been a bad idea.

"Interesting, Interesting!" Walhart cried out as he began to laugh, this was right after right finished summarizing the conversations they had with one another when Walhart was doing the whole "secret test of character" thing with him. "That truly does sound like what I would say! Indeed it seems as though your words do ring true Tactician; to think I would lose to such a seemingly frail man is both infuriating yet humbling!"

Robin gave a weak smile as Walhart began to ruthless pat his back, the act making him feel like his spinal cord was about to break in half.

"Well then am I free to go?" Robin asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Walhart said "You are free to go wherever you please my friend. "

"Well then your majesty I'll just take my lea-" Robin began to say as he stood up.

"On one condition" Walhart said suddenly.

"…Excuse me?" Robin said, not liking the gleam that suddenly appeared in the conqueror's eyes.

"Duel me", the giant of a man said simply.

"What"

* * *

Robin stared at the array of weapons laid out before him, a wide variety of blades of all different sizes and shapes, western to eastern, all carefully organized upon a table for him to choose from. There was also a number of spell tomes and other miscellaneous weapons of war along the sides, but it appears as though Walhart was fonder of bladed weapons.

Robin sighed as he inspected the weapons, making sure to look at each one in as much detail as possible; searching for the ones he felt would help him keep as many limbs as he possibly could.

_**Oh oh, get the katana! **_Grima cried out in an excited manner.

"Why? Those weapons are fragile as hell, one glance from Walhart's axe and the thing will shatter like Inigo's self-esteem whenever a girl turned him down."

_**Because Katanas are just better. Duh.**_

"I fail to see how that gives your opinion any credit at all." Robin replied

_**Ok, perhaps I should have elaborated a tad more.**_

"Perhaps."

_**Dear Tactician, remember our journey through the dimensional gateway?**_

"The one that forever traumatized my very existence?" Robin replied casually "What about it?"

_**Well I am sure you saw how different each of those worlds was from our own. Each had their own set of rules, yet each of them always followed a set of patterns that allowed the individuals within them to do extraordinary things.**_

"So? I fail to see how any of this relates to our current world."

_**Ah, but my Dear Tactician, it does far more than you think. You see, before Walhart came and interrupted our little chat back when we first arrived, I was about to inform you about something, was I not?**_

Robin frowned, his scowl being the unspoken gesture for the Fell Dragon to continue.

_**What I had noticed back then is still occurring even now Tactician. For you see my vessel, that dimensional hole we metaphorically fell from to reach this world? IT NEVER CLOSED.**_

"What…" Robin's widened as Grima's revelation processed through his mind.

_**Don't worry too much; from what I can tell nothing has followed us or anything. However it would appear as though the rules and patterns of other worlds are leaking into our own…**_

"Is this going to be a good thing or a bad thing?" Robin was pretty sure he already knew the answer, however there were some things he saw that he REALLY did not want to influence his world. After all his friends were already weird enough as is, he did not need other dimensions adding to their list of quirks…

_**Well how about we let you decide? Pick up the katana Robin.**_

Robin thought he might as well go along with the dragon and did as it asked.

_**Now then you see that training dummy over there across the room? **_Grima mentally gestured towards the wooden puppet.

"What about it?"

_**Now then, listen carefully. Do not approach the doll, simply take the blade out of the sheath, make some slashing gestures towards it, and return the sword to the sheath as quickly as you can. Easy right?**_

Robin did not really understand how any of this was useful, but decided to humor it anyways. He turned towards the training dummy, and he pulled out the katana, swiftly making several slices through the air before returning it to its container a mere second two seconds later. Then he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

_**Huh. Well that's odd, I'm pretty sure something should have happened by now…**_

"Right, because randomly swinging a sword through the air would obviously make me the greatest swordsman of all time." Robin rolled his eyes, placing his hand on the sword's hilt. However he noticed that the blade felt awkward as he held it with his palm, and as he looked down he noticed that the blade did not fully go into its sheath.

Robin pushed the blade in, and with a distant "clink" sound the sword was properly contained within its sheath. With that annoyance dealt with, Robin turned once again to the training dummy, but then stepped back out of sheer surprise.

Robin stared dumbly at the sight before him, his mouth wide open as he failed to find words to describe the scene before him. In front of him, across the room, was the training dummy, lying upon the floor sliced to ribbons, and the wall behind it gouged with what appeared to be slashes from a blade.

"How… but… that's not physically possible…" Robin stuttered out, unable to believe the sight before him.

_**Rule of Cool.**_

Robin honestly had no response to that.

_**So, what do you think Dear Tactician?**_

Robin stared at the wrecked training dummy and the ruined wall, then to the sword, then back to the wreckage again, and as he looked up he had a wide grin on his face.

"Okay, I can get used to this."

* * *

The coliseum could be described with one simple word, noisy. That was all Robin could think of as he walked into the arena. The stadium was filled to the brim; people who had all came to watch their grand ruler combat an unfortunate fellow for reasons unknown to them. Robin sighed as he strolled forth, a longsword in his hand and the Katana fastened to his hip. He would have brought a spell tome, but considering his opponent, he highly doubted he would be given a chance to use it.

He stopped as he reached his designated place in the arena; there across from him was Walhart in his signature red armor. His hand resting on the hilt of Wolf Berg, as the mighty axe rested its head upon the ground.

_We're screwed aren't we?_

_**It would appear so, don't worry I'm sure he won't be too rough on you**_

Robin did not even have to say anything to get his point across.

_**Okay, so he most definitely will be maiming you, hard, but at least he will leave your head intact! Mostly…**_

Across from them, Walhart suddenly raised his hand, and with that simple gesture the entire stadium was silenced.

"So my friend, I am sure you are already aware of the terms of this duel, but would you like me to repeat them for you." Walhart asked as he began to tighten his grip on Wolf Berg.

"Might as well, it would nice if the audience knew what this whole fiasco is about anyways." Robin replied in a dull tone.

_**Yep, you have to be considerate to the readers after all.**_

"Very well then, the purpose of this duel is to decide whether or not you, Tactician, shall be allowed to leave this nation." Walhart bellowed out for all to hear. "Normally, I would let a foreigner leave without any fanfare, however this is an exception." Walhart lifted up the giant axe and pointed it towards Robin.

"You are a strategist of unparalleled skill, one so talented that you have outfitted even me, ruler of the mighty Valmese Empire!" The crowd gasped as Walhart made that declaration. A simple commoner being able to outdo their might ruler? Was that even possible? "Letting you leave would be a waste, for your abilities would be one much appreciated within our military."

"With that said here are the conditions of this duel. Should you defeat me in one-on-one combat, you are free to leave, and allowed to take any resource you feel you might need on your journey." Walhart continued as the grin on his face changed from amused, to downright psychotic. "However, if you are unable to defeat me, then you shall be drafted into the Valmese military, to become my general, my judge who shall weigh the lives of friend or foe, for at least one year!"

The crowd roared as Walhart screamed the conditions into the air, the unexpected terms causing a flood of excitement to course through the stadium.

"Now that we have stated the conditions of this duel, do you accept the terms brought to you?" Walhart said, moving into his stance as he already knew the answer.

"I accept" Robin stated wearily as he readied his blade.

"Then… LET US BEGIN!" Walhart roared as he leapt forward, axe drawing closer to its victim, the conqueror rushing to war once again.

* * *

Despite his large bulk, Walhart was far faster than Robin would have liked. Each axe strike came like lightning, each blow felt like a truck crashing against him. Robin could ill afford to block against the juggernaut, fearful that the impact will shatter his blade Robin instead settled on redirecting the weapon. So far this tactic has led to him only suffering minor injuries, for now.

And then there was…

_**Oh he's going to strike from the left!**_

Walhart struck from the right.

_**He's going to punch you! Crouch down!**_

Walhart then proceeded to kick him.

_**Ummmm…. He's gonna swing down vertically?**_

Walhart then swung his Wolf Berg horizontally, nearly decapitating Robin if it was not for Robin's awkward last second dodge, resulting in him slamming into the wall.

_STOP HELPING ME! _Robin screamed out mentally.

_**Hey! It's not MY fault you suck at fighting. Maybe you should have taken that blue-haired girl's offer to train you when you had the chance? But nope, instead you were too busy with your bromance with her father and now we're both going to die because of your uselessness!**_

There were so many things wrong with that sentence, Robin did not even know when to begin.

_Well why do YOU suck so much at fighting advice. You're the freakin' Fell Dragon, killing things is supposed to be your thing!_

_**I'm a giant dragon, I don't have any experience in one-on-one slap fights, I just waved my hands around and things died! Try putting things into perspective jerk!**_

Robin would have responded back if it wasn't for Walhart suddenly longing forth with his axe. In his haste to deflect the blow Robin fumbled and accidently blocked instead… which resulted in his sword breaking apart like a stick.

Using his latest bout of misfortune as a distraction, Robin rolled past Walhart, springing up and jumping backwards in order to gain some distance. He then grasped the hilt of the eastern sword attached to his hip.

Walhart turned, curiosity written in his eye as he waited for Robin to make his move.

Robin shifted his stance, with one leg behind him, the other bending forwards, Robin drew his swords from his sheath, repeating the movements he made back in the armory, and quickly returning the blade for the killing blow.

However before the katana was fully within its container, Walhart's instincts kicked in, his mind screamed danger as he suddenly threw himself to the side. He watch in amazement as the wall that was previously behind him was spontaneously gouged out, long streaks of stone all carved out in a single moment.

Walhart then turned to Robin, the grin on his face several times wider as the Tacticians value increased once more in his mind.

"Oh, crap…" Was all Robin managed to voice out as Walhart dashed forward with inhuman speed, axe poised to tear the Tactician to pieces.

Robin once again took out his blade to try to redirect the axe, but this proved futile and he was slammed out onto the ground as the axe's sheer weighed overcame the blade. Robin's vision blurred as he looked up, and he could make out an odd shape soaring through the air…

_Hey, is that a hand?_

_**It does certainly resemble one.**_

_That hand looks familiar though, doesn't it?_

_**It most certainly does.**_

… _That's our hand isn't it?_

_**Yep**_

Pain suddenly flared in Robin's left arm as his body finally registered the fact that his hand had just been cut off. All he could do was lay there as Walhart slowly came over, axe dragging along the ground.

"It would appear as though this is the end of our little game Tactician." Walhart announced as the cheers in the stadium increased in volume, the crowd waiting for the final blow.

"Yes, it does seem that way" Robin sighed

"Well then, goodnight my friend' Walhart said cheerfully as he proceed to slam his axe downwards upon his foe.

Robin raised his sword in an attempt to at least lessen the pain he knew was coming in a mere moment. He closed his eyes as he waited for the axe to hit him, a moment later all that remained was silence…

However Robin was still conscious, the pain in his arm still flaring even now and as the Tactician opened his eyes, and he gasped in surprise.

There in front of him, was Walhart; eyes wide open in similar surprise as Robin, for his mighty Wolf Berg, a weapon that has seen the destruction of whole armies was stopped by the Tactician's sword. A sword that now completely in unnatural energy, lightning coursing through its length...

_**Sorcery… **_Robin heard Grima hiss.

Sorcery, the ability to use magic with no need for spell tomes or incantations; commonly referred to as true magic. Magic was something bound to the rules of the world, utilizing the world's symptoms in order to create seemingly unnatural things. Sorcery on the other hand did not rely on anything natural; instead it bypasses all laws and can change the very fabric of reality; the ultimate blasphemy upon the world.

"HA HA HA HA HA" Walhart laughed out Robin stood once more. "Impressive Tactician, you are proving more and more valuable with every moment!"

Robin stood once more in his fighting stance, his blade readied in front of him as he steadied it with his one hand. The Mark of Grima glowed a dark red, his irises shining with a similar color, and as he felt his strength renew, Robin's right eye bore a new mark. An eight pointed star emblazoned itself upon his right eye, the symbol giving off a feeling of… wrongness that unnerved even Walhart as he stared into it.

_**It would appear as though our journey has changed us a tad more than I had previously assumed… **_ Grima stated darkly.

Robin would have given what the Fell Dragon said more thought if it was not for the great rush of energy he felt building up within him. This, boys and girls, is commonly referred to as a "Power High".

"Well then, Conqueror of Valm." Robin said with a smile that could be described as, psychopathic. "I think it's time to even the odds."

And with that, the battle between Tactician and Conqueror resumed once more.

* * *

Robin opened his eyes slowly, his mind felt hazy as he pushed himself up. His whole body felt numb, almost as though he got run over by a tank… which is a pretty accurate literally if you think about it. Robin sighed as he rubbed his face with his left hand.

_Wait… left?_

_**ABOUT DAMN TIME YOU WOKE UP YOU %_^*) #^**_

Robin jumped as Grima's scream tore through him.

_What the hell!_

_**Don't you 'What the hell' me! While you had your little beauty sleep I had to lay here dealing with our freakin' hand growing back! And let me tell you it hurt like a BITCH!**_

_Our hand grew back, since when could we regenerate?_

_**Hell if I know, while you couldn't be described as human in the first place since you were bred to be my vessel, this new addition, along with your stupid sorcery affinity, has kicked you right up to humanoid abomination in my book. **_Grima replied irritably.

_Wow, this is the first time I've heard you talk that wasn't either ridiculously happy or mocking; was it really that bad?_

_**Yes, yes it was that bad. Let me tell you having a whole hand grow back, bone, tendons, muscles and skin, is not a pleasant experience at all. **_

Robin flinched in sympathy for the dragon.

"Ha, awake already my friend!" A voice suddenly bellowed.

Robin turned to see Walhart strolling towards him in all of his shirtless glory, a new array of scars littering his body, wounds from a sword yet resembled the aftermath of burns.

"Far be it for me to assume that the man who could fight me to a draw would be kept down for long!" Walhart laughed out, and his eyes shifted to Robin's left hand. "And you continue to surprise me even now Tactician, I doubt even death itself could hold you for long!"

Robin gave a weak laugh as the Warlord patted his back. His reputation was slowly getting a boost in ways he did not want at all.

"Your unusual skills will be much appreciated within my army."

"Yeah I'm sure they will…. Say what?" Robin asked dumbly.

"Do you not remember?" Walhart replied with a smirk. "The conditions for the duel were that you were free to go if you defeated me, and that you would join me should you be _unable to defeat me. _Last I recall our battle ended in a draw, and so you, under the obligations set forth by the conditions you agreed to, are required to join my army as a general under my command."

…

…_**.**_

"I look forward to working with you, my Judge" Walhart laughed as he walked away.

"_WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!"_

_**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT**_

* * *

The soldiers did their work, every now and then glancing nervously at their new overseer.

Robin watched over them, arms crossed, as he was dealing with the frustrations his new situation was already giving him. Robin was currently wearing the new armor that Walhart had given him after "graciously" bestowing him the title of Judge, a title no doubt inspired by their little chat they had in the future.

The armor covered him from head to toe in silver armor, not as heavily armored as Walhart, but armored enough that it would withstand more punishment then most; Walhart did not want his precious new Tactician to die on him after all. There was also a black robe, much like the one he previously wore, that flowed out of its joints. The helmet was featureless, except for the four red eye like lenses that were fitted into it, and a painted eight-pointed star covering where the right eye should be; an addition Walhart ordered soon after the duel. Behind him flowed a cape, adorned with the heraldry of the Valmese Empire, and the Eye of Grima in a repeating pattern on the trims. Overall, the outfit was far too intimidating for Robin's tastes.

_Who the hell does he think I am? Darth Vader?_

Robin sighed as he thought of his misfortunes. However due to the helmet's distortion of his voice, the sigh came out as a growl which made the troops around him quicken their pace, afraid that their current speed may have irritated their very scary looking master.

_Goddamn it. _Robin swore internally. _My whole hat was being the kind tactician who achieved victory through friendship, how the hell am I suppose to inspire people looking like this!_

_**Not that I mean to interrupt your little identity crisis or anything, but I think there is a bigger issue to deal with right now.**_

_And what might that be?_

_**Remember how I said that the patterns that governed other worlds are leaking into this one? Well I happened to notice another one as you were angsting about your new job.**_

_So, what did you notice oh omniscient one? _

_**Well you see first off you have me in your head, a being which most of the world currently sees as the devil.**_

_Yes_

_**Then you've somehow managed to become the right hand man of Walhart, becoming his general that he will most likely use to conquer the rest of the continent and put down rebellions.**_

_Yes, _Robin said, not liking the direction Grima was taking this.

_**And then there's the fact that you can use sorcery, a thing commonly called black magic by many of the populace. And now you're currently sporting the whole evil overlord look there, while also having the whole high speed regeneration thing found in monsters… **_

Robin REALLY did not like the direction this was going now.

_**Basically what I am trying to say is, looking at our position now, doesn't it look like we're in the villain role?**_

Robin pondered about that for a moment, and he could really only think of one phrase as a response to that.

"SON OF A BITCH!"

* * *

**Omake 1: It's… a boy?**

"Hey Grima, I've got a question for you." Robin asked out loud since he was alone in the room.

**_Hmmm, what do you need Dear Tactician?_**

"Well I'm just wondering about something, back when we went through the gateway to the past, I got all that knowledge about all those worlds and stuff. But when I got information about our world, it was different."

**_Different, how so?_**

"Well instead of being like a dump of information, this was more like… memories. I remember things like the Hero King's battle against the Shadow Dragon from the perspective of some man named Kris."

**_Oh that battle, I remember that; I was there._**

"…. You were there?"

**_Of course I was. I am a being of nigh endless lifespan after all. It's a funny story actually…_**

**FLASHBACK**

**_ "Grandfather, grandpa Medeus!" _**Grima called out to the old man.

"Huh, what is it George?" The senile Manakete replied

**_"It's Grima"_**

"What?"

**_"I said my name is Grima." _**The future Fell Dragon said wearily.

"I know your name just fine Greg, now what is it?"

Grima sighed as he gave up on correcting the old dragon.

**_"It looks like that princess and her army has managed to bypass the castle's defenses, looks like they made it the center, I think they're going for the whole 'heroic final battle' cliché with you."_**

"Oh is that so? I suppose I should welcome them in." The Dark Dragon's attentiveness rose as the prospect of slaughter came to his mind.

Five minutes later

**_WELCOME TO DIE PRINCESS. YOU AND YOUR ARMIES HAVE COME SEEKING A MAN, BUT WHAT YOU HAVE FOUND IS A GOD. _**Medeus roared as his dark laughter filled the air.

"Prince", Marth, the one who shall later be known as the "Hero King" said simply.

_**EXCUSE ME?**_

"I said prince; I'm Prince Marth, not princess."

**_…. _**Was all Medeus could do to respond

**_"….." _**Was Grima's similar response as he watched things unfold from above.

The Dark Dragon paused as he looked closely at the "prince's" appearance. He then turned to the hooded figure that stood next to the "prince".

**_SERIOUSLY? _**The Dark Dragon asked the man, sheer confusion written all over its face.

"Seriously" The hooded man replied. "I know he looks like a woman, but Marth over there is, indeed a man; believe me even I had to double check a few times." The man then sighed as he muttered under his breath, "Such a waste too…"

Marth's eye twitched at that, and his irritation only grew when he saw how genuinely confused the Dark Dragon was.

**_BUT… HOW… WHAT… THAT DOESN'T EVEN…_**

"Oh for the love of…" Marth screamed out as he drew the Falchion. "Now my men, attack the beast while it is distracted!"

**FLASHBACK END**

"Wow, seriously?" Robin asked in between laughs. "The Hero King, being mistaken as a girl?"

**_I'm serious _**Grima chuckled **_I suppose the history books didn't think it was heroic that Marth only managed to get a critical hit because grandfather was still in a daze about his gender._**

"I think this I'm going to have a bit of fun with this little piece of info." Robin chuckled darkly, "I never did get any payback from Lucina after she gave me that heart attack when she tried to kill me…"

**In a future that has yet to pass...**

"Achoo!" Lucina sneezed, pausing in the midst of combat with the risen. For some odd reason she felt this sense of foreboding coursing through her…

* * *

**Author's Note: **And that's a rap for chapter two. Wow, over eight thousand words and only two chapters done; I've outdone myself this time. If you guys are wondering about a few details I'll try my best to explain them. For the eight-pointed star that showed up look up "Chaos Undivided Symbol" on google, and think of it being in Robin's eye the same way the Mark of the Exalted is in Lucina's.

Also about the whole regeneration thing, don't worry, I won't be using that to make Robin a gary-stu, the only reason I added that is because I want Robin to suffer under some amusing injuries and still survive. As for his armor, think of it as being a combination of Final Fantasy 12's judge's armor, with Organization XIII's cloaks (except like trench coat in appearance and more robe like.) As for the whole sorcery thing, I just thought it would be cool if Robin could use spells, its not like its going to have any future plot relevence, Hollownerox says as he lays down another bit of foreshadowing.

And in case you're wondering what I have in store for later, let's just say that the "hole" will indeed be influencing a few of the characters, I have a particular idea in store for Cordelia. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

With that said, feel free to review and I'll see you guys next week!

**EDIT:** To quell reviewer Anthros' worries, have no fear, Robin will not suddenly become a Chaos Worshiper if that's what you're thinking. I mostly just put the whole star of Chaos Undivided thing to show that Robin was using the "Rules" of the Warhammer dimension in order to use his sorcery. Much like how he utilized the "Rules" of the DMC dimension in order to use Vergil's judgment cut with the katana. So don't worry, this won't be some wierd cross-over fic with Warriors of Chaos or space marines suddenly barging into the Fire Emblem verse.

**EDIT #2: **Just like to say thanks to meteorce for pointing out a few of the errors I made, seriously you would not believe how long I've been waiting for some criticism. Unfortunately I do not have any one willing to be my editor, so I have to proofread my writings myself; and in case anyone has yet to notice, I am pretty terrible at that.


	3. Chapter 3

**I Do Not Own Fire Emblem**: This is a purely fictional piece of writing that I have written in my free time, I do not own any characters, settings, or plot details mentioned in this story. Also, any references to other works are done so only as allusions that serve to provide additional immature humor.

**Authors Note: **Once again, I'd just like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far, seriously guys it really makes my day. Though I wish I'd get more suggestions, writer's block happens to be the bane of my existence. As for the changes introduced in the previous chapter, no worries people, the story will (loosely) follow the general Awakening plot, but obviously the story is going to change quite a bit.

**Story will obviously contain spoilers**

**Chapter 3: No Rest for the Wicked**

Robin sipped his tea as he waited for the Fell Dragon to finish its work. He sat in a lawn chair, a small white table by his side, within a field of grass.

This was his mindscape, his own inner world that he and Grima created after analyzing similar techniques in other dimensions. He couldn't do anything like bring it forth into the actual world, or use it as some sort of mental training ground, Robin was not nearly a powerful enough being to achieve such feats. However it served as a nice way to give himself some time to relax since they could adjust the flow of time internally, making a day or two inside be only a few hours on the outside.

Robin's inner world, naturally, took the form of the place where he first met Chrom. Though it did disturb him a bit to see Grima, in his true form with all of its dark glory, lying upon the same field of grass that filled his first memory; but he figured he might as well get used to it, after all the Fell Dragon wasn't going anywhere.

"**Well, from what I can tell, you won't be going around screaming 'BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!' anytime soon. So you're free to use the whole sorcery thing as long as you don't go overboard with the spells, try to summon daemons or anything the Grimleal would do." **Grima said to Robin, as it continued to observe the flow of text in front of it that only the dragon could understand. **"And the whole regeneration thing seems to be a side effect of me being in your body. I don't recommend relying on it though since, one, it hurts like a bitch, and two, the thing isn't exactly reliable. It could heal a wound in a few seconds, or take an entire day. But there does not seem to be any negative effects on your body for now."**

"Well that's a relief" Robin sighed as he placed his cup upon the table. "I don't want this whole 'extra-dimensional' stuff this affect me more than it already is…"

"**Remember who to thank for that, after all I am the one who is repressing most of the information you have stored in your brain, we don't want you going all Deadpool on us or anything." **Grima replied as it turned to face Robin.

"About that, I've been meaning to ask, why are you doing all of this ", Robin asked seriously as he tried to make eye contact with the dragon… which was slightly difficult considering the thing had quite a number of eyes.

"**What am I doing?" **The Fell Dragon questioned confusion in its voice. **"Last I checked the most I've done is prevent you from going insane, give our body a faster healing system, and scare the soldiers a bit by making them think the bathrooms were haunted."**

Robin did not even want to ask how the Fell Dragon went about the last one in that list.

"Which is kind of my point", Robin voice hardened. "I know for a fact that you could do whatever you want in my body, our minds share it yet you have yet to possess it to do anything." The Fell Dragon looked… amused as Robin brought up his frustrations.

"Not to mention the fact that you've been all friendly and considerate the entire time we've been here." Robin was starting to get irritated as he heard the dragon chuckle. "And I know you're still as sociopathic as ever, considering how you acted on our little shopping trip in the capital…"

* * *

"This, this is…" Robin muttered, speechless as he observed the scene around him.

_**I must say… when I imagined Valm, I did not quite expect it to be like this.**_

Robin was forced to agree with the Fell Dragon as he stood there, dumbfounded.

The scene before him could only be described as… peaceful, everyone going about their lives happily. People of all races and features were cheerfully going about their day, something he never expected from the country he himself described as 'Survival of the Fittest' the nation. The place was far more tolerant than what he had seen even in Ylisse.

_**Was that a Manakete that just walked by?**_

"Looks like it…" Robin murmured as the humanoid dragon walked past them, arm wrapped around that of a normal male.

_**Okay that's it! Robin, you and me, we're going out and grabbing some bandits, brigands, zombies, or whatever. Then we are going to come back here and have a RALLY TO RESTORE FEAR AND ILLOGICAL HATRED!**_

Robin decided to mentally mute the dragon, and continue looking for the bear meat he went out to buy.

* * *

"I mean come on! You're supposed to be the freakin' Fell Dragon!" Robin shouted out "Aren't you supposed to be evil incarnate or whatever!" At that moment Grima paused, and after a second or two, suddenly burst out laughing. Robin tried to steady himself as the laugh sent quakes through the ground, toppling his table, and flinging his tea into his face.

"Did I say something that amused you?" Robin grumbled as he wiped his face clean with his tactician's robe.

"**Evil you say?" **Grima said, still chuckling every now and then. **"Is that how you see me?"**

"Well of course I see you as evil; you did kind of bring humanity to the verge of extinction… twice."

"**I see how you can mistake my intentions as evil when that is all you can see from your perspective." **Grima said as it lowered its head closer to Robin. **"However, I am a being that cannot be labeled with such human concepts like good or evil."**

Robin beckoned for the dragon to continue with a wave of his hand, he was admittedly intrigued as to where it was going with this.

"**I work on a far different moral level than you humans do. Tell me Robin, you are aware of the theories regarding my existence correct?"**

"I've done my research." Robin confirmed for the dragon. "It is generally agreed that you are descended from the ancient Earth Dragons, you are supposed to be Naga's equal and opposite, and some even believe you to be a fusion of the sealed Earth Dragons."

"**Indeed, I was created in order to oppose Naga, and I am, in a way a being made from the Earth Dragons. However not in the way your scholars believe me to be."**

"Care to elaborate?"

"**Normally I would refrain from giving such knowledge to another, even Naga herself is not privy to the motives that drive me, however since you and I am now truly one and the same I see it fit to make you an exception." **Grima said happily, almost as if it was relieved that it could share this with someone. **"I am the personification of all the Earth Dragon's feelings towards mankind; would you care to speculate as to what I might embody?"**

"Their hatred of humanity?" Robin picked the most obvious answer.

"**A good guess Dear Tactician, but incorrect." **Grima said as he once again laughed. **"What I personify is not their hatred for humanity, though there was admittedly a lot, but their… admiration for you humans."**

"Admiration?" Robin questioned, the answer was one he was not expecting at all.

"**Believe it or not, the Earth Dragons had quite of bit of respect for you humans." **Grima explained. **"While they did not feel inclined to love you as Naga chose to do, they did acknowledge that it took guts to stand up to nigh godlike beings such as themselves." **

"While this is certainly an intriguing piece of information, I fail to see how this relates to your occasional acts of omnicide." Robin, stated as he rested his head upon his hand.

"**Ah yes, well first of all let me ask you Robin, what is it that drives humanity to progress?" **Grima asked him, obviously trying to lead the conversation.

If Robin was an optimist like Chrom or his sister, he would have said something like peace; or if he felt particularly unoriginal, love. However he knew full well the true answer to the Fell Dragon's query, after all it was the only thing he truly excelled in.

"Conflict, which most often means war." Robin said matter of flatly.

"**Exactly, humans can only progress if there is conflict, whether it be warfare, or simply through clashing of ideals, humans can only move forward if there is an enemy they need to defeat." **Grima continued to explain.

"I see…" Robin muttered as he began to understand what Grima was trying to say.

"**After the sealing of the Earth Dragons we noticed that it was not peace that was created, rather it was stagnation, without a grand enemy for them to combat humanity simply took to infighting and nothing was achieved." **Grima said, almost sadly. **"And thus I was given the role of the 'Fell Dragon' as you know of today, a great monster that comes every now and then to wipe out mankind. This new 'threat' unites people under one cause, allowing everyone to cast aside their differences in order to fight the great beast; as you have no doubt seen for yourself." **

"Okay I understand your 'noble' goals and all that, but how do you explain the fact that you have to kill almost all of us to get your point across; not to mention you acting all evil and stuff." Robin asked as he remembered the tales Lucina told him of her future. "I recall Lucina telling me how you went right up to her face just to tell her that you killed her parents."

"**To answer your first question, well you humans tend to be really stubborn. I mean seriously, you guys could have easily prevented my resurrection each time from the very beginning, but for some odd reason you guys only band together once I've killed off like 50% of you." **Grima said casually. **"As for the whole evil incarnate thing, well to be honest I get a bit bored. So I figured if my job is to be a big evil dragon god, I might as well roll with it and play it up."**

Robin could empathize with that last argument, since that was pretty much how he was going about his role as a Valmese general.

"So basically the only reason you do the whole omnicide thing is because it's your day job" Robin summarized.

"**Basically."**

"What about the Grimleal?"Robin asked, remembering the not very pleasant aspects of his father's religion. "Was being worshipped as a god part of the plan?"

"**Please don't remind me of those freaks." **Grima groaned. **"There's a good reason why they are the first ones to die whenever I get resurrected…"**

"So you don't like being worshiped as a god?" Robin questioned as he raised an eyebrow. He was there when Grima had his more... excited, moments, and it was surpising learning that the dragon did not harbor a god complex

"**Robin, I am many things, but a god is not one of them. Originally the Grimleal were a simple group that sought to bring change wherever they could. Be it through politics or by simply motivating people to do things differently. **Grima explained wearily **"But, like any group, the more… radical, ideas began to take hold, and soon the simple political party turned into a religion of evil. Trust me; you weren't the only one creeped out by your father's hobbies."**

"Well at least that is something we share in common." Robin sighed as he leaned back in his chair. While Grima's explanation did not justify any of the horrors is brought to his friends, he was at least satisfied to know that the Fell Dragon that dwelled in his body wasn't the insane monster he thought it was.

"**To be honest this was a simplified version, I don't think your mind is developed enough to understand the full unabridged version; while you humans tend to view things in black in white, my perspectives can be described as red and green." **Grima said as an afterthought. **"Since we're done with this little chat on morality, I might as well tell you that I've noticed something odd as I was doing that status report on your sanity."**

"And? It isn't something like an alternate version of me has come from the future or anything like that again, is it?" Robin asked in a worried tone.

"**No, nothing as ridiculous as that, however it appears that our journey to the past might not have been as simple as we first assumed…" **

"How so?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"**I'm not quite sure, I have a few guesses, but nothing concrete to work on, we have to meet more people you came into contact with before I can make any conclusions." **Grima said as he sorted through the layers of text floating in front of him once again. **"But we can save that for later, I believe it is almost time for your little strategy meeting with Walhart and his generals." **

Robin groaned he was not looking forward to this meeting in the least bit; this whole chat with Grima was just his way of procrastinating.

"I suppose I have no choice though…" Robin sighed as he began the process of exiting his inner world.

* * *

Walhart sighed as he gazed upon his ring of generals. To his right was Cervantes, and Pheros, the bearded man stood there grooming his mustache, while Pheros stood upright, standing straight in the presence of her 'god'. To his left was the mongrel Excellus, and…. some other man whose name escaped him, maybe Weston? He probably wasn't important anyways so Walhart simply ignored him.

They were in an average sized room, circular in shape, which was situated in the center of his castle. This was the war room, the place where his future conquests were planned and executed, the room was decorated with the banners of kingdoms overthrown, heraldries of knight orders defeated. And in the center of it all, lay a three-dimensional map of the continent, areas sectioned off to represent the borders of countries he has yet to control.

"Your Majesty!" The guard outside of the room called out. "Lord Judge has arrived, shall I let him in."

"Please do." Walhart said simply. He had forgotten to inform everyone of Robin's name, simply giving him the title of "Judge" and telling everyone of his role. Robin himself did not seem to mind; apparently the anonymity was preferable for his ends.

Walhart watched the tactician as he walked in. The man's silver armor shining even in the barely lit room, the red lenses of his helm glowing its unnatural red, a detail that strangely only occurred when Robin was wearing it. His cape billowed behind him as he strolled in, the robes that were entwined with his armor flowing seamlessly. The armor made the tactician look less like a judge and more like an executioner, a fact that Walhart found joy in.

Robin himself had made numerous complaints about the armor, stating that he commanded troops best when they weren't wetting themselves in his presence. However Walhart had a fondness for intimidation tactics, so he forced the tactician to deal with it.

"Hmph, about damn time you got here, Judge." Weston? said in a mocking tone. "We were about to start without you, not like we needed your skills here though."

"Your lack of faith in my abilities Nelson is…" Robin paused as he stopped in his place at the table, standing next to Cervantes. "Quite amusing." He declared simply as lightning suddenly coursed through his arms, emphasizing his point.

Nelson, yes that's what that guy's name was, took a step back at the unspoken threat. And Walhart made an amused grin as he saw the minor general reconsider his bullying of the (literal) dragon in the room.

"Your Majesty" Robin said simply, nodding his head towards Walhart, his voice distorted beyond recognition by the modified helm. "Sorry I am late; I had to distribute my tactics manual to the troops. Along with the new equipment we developed and the new code book."

"Please Judge, drop the formalities, you are one I consider as close as an equal as I possibly could." Walhart replied with a wave of his hand.

"Of course Walhart." Robin said, relieved that he could address the conqueror as he always had. He was seriously unused to being so formal, which is justified considering his only experience with nobility, was people like Chrom and Virion.

"I was not aware that this new "Judge" was so arrogant!" A voice that just screamed conniving said; there is really no need to point out who the speaker was. "To speak to His Majesty Walhart so casually yet not even having the decency to remove his helm in his presence… I suppose that is to be expected of a _sorcerer_." Excellus spat out the last word as if it were poison.

_Ah, the usual, "I'm jealous that you can do what I can't, but I'm going to cover it up by acting like you're inferior" attitude; as expected from one of the Grimleal._

_**What!? This guy is one of my worshippers? Damn, their standards have really declined in the last century…**_

"Who is the arrogant one here, I for wearing my helm when speaking to the lord of this nation, or you for assuming that Walhart even cares about such trivialities?" Robin replied to the… man?

Excellus visibly angered at that, and was about to respond if it were not for Walhart raising his hand for silence.

"While I do promote competition between my soldiers, it is only counterproductive if I allowed my generals to bicker amongst themselves." Walhart said, glaring towards his left.

Excellus backed down with a snort as he complied with the conqueror's unspoken order to stop.

"Well then my Judge, I suppose I might as well inform you of the new changes we are making to our strategy." Walhart motioned to the map. "Cervantes and I shall be leading a direct assault towards the kingdom of Chon'sin. Meanwhile Pheros, Nelson, and Excellus shall stay near the borders, both in order to ward of any invaders seeking to take advantage of my absence, as well as to dissuade any rebels from taking action."

Walhart then pointed to a figurine on the map, a knight with a sword in his right hand, and a scale in the left.

"While this is occurring, you will go to the small country of Rosanne, it is a country we have _yet _to conquer, but as of right now it is more valuable to us if it remains neutral." Walhart continued as he placed a figurine representing a bandit in between the country of Rosanne and Robin. "You are to go there and negotiate with the duke, hopefully gaining some archers for your forces, but on your way there I want you to deal with a small rebel force gathering on the border."

Robin was having mixed feelings about this; on one hand he had the chance to meet Virion a bit early, seeing a familiar face would brighten up his mood considerably. However on the other hand, his first impression to the archer won't nearly be as good as it was the first time around; considering the fact he was coming, not as a friend but as an oppressor.

"After retrieving what aid you can from Rosanne I want you to head to Chon'sin in order to provide aid for our forces as we besiege the capital." Walhart said with a smirk, most likely imagining the glorious fighting that would engulf the area.

"Any questions?" Walhart asked, looking at his assembled generals. "Good. This meeting is adjourned, now go, meet with your men and prepare for the coming battles!"

* * *

**Four Months Later**

The woman strolled into the bar, her red hair trailing behind her. She looked around the room, eyes searching for something amongst the crowd. Her eyes stopped; satisfied by what she has found, as smirk forms on her face as the woman strolled over to a table.

"What do you want lady?" One of the men seated there asked, his gruff voice fitting his grim appearance. He was great knight, one of the humanoid shields of his company, a group not known for tolerating people butting into their business.

"Oh nothing much, just looking for a bit of info you fine men might just have." The woman said whimsically as she pulled up a table.

"Oh, and just what do we know that would make woman like yourself be willing to come down to a place like this?" Another of the men, an archer judging by his light armor, and his headgear, said as he…. observed the woman.

"Nothing too big, but from what I see you guys are part of the Eighth Company, which means you know a thing or two about this infamous "Judge" right?" The woman said casually, she paused in slight surprise at how fast the men froze when she mentioned their leader's name.

"If it was about anything else we'd be willing to tell you for free…" The third man, a Wyvern rider, said in a hushed voice. "However, making us willing to talk about our, oh so frightening general, will cost you quite a bit of gold lady."

"About that…" The woman said as she crossed her legs. "You wouldn't mind if we spend a bit of time haggling the price down a bit, would you?"

The woman known as Anna smirked as she placed her finger upon her chin; mischief gleaming within her eyes.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Yes, yes I did just do that. About the whole four months later thing, no I am not skipping over the whole military campaign; I am just going to be telling it in past tense from the soldier's perspectives next chapter.

As for the whole Grima thing in the beginning, well some people were curious about my characterization of Grima, so I added that in as an attempt to show what drives it. Basically the thing can be summed up as Grima only doing what it does because it's Grima's job; it's a punch clock villain.

If any of you are curious about how I managed to write up another chapter so soon, it's mainly because of my writing process. Basically I spend a week coming up with ideas and outlining the story, and then every Saturday I actually write the chapter. I already have the next three or so chapters outlined, but I decided to release this chapter early as a Memorial Day gift.

Once again, please review and point out any errors or problems you see in my story. I can take it. See you guy's next Saturday!

**EDIT: **So it appears there has been a slight miscommunication here, yes I have indeed introduced Anna into the story (Mainly because I was bored dealing with only like 3 characters). However that in no way means that I have actually picked out the love-interest yet, So don't fret MasterHamster, Lucina is not out of the romance picture yet!

Though it must be noted that I am indeed a sadist, so you can bet your asses I'm gonna drag this out for as long as I can! I have prayed to the gods of RomCom and they have given their approval.

In response to Cryostylz, I suppose the only thing I can say is... sorry? I mean I don't really see how I can introduce Aversa at all during this point of the story, considering she's busy chilling with Gangrel back in Plegia.


	4. Chapter 4

**I Do Not Own Fire Emblem**: This is a purely fictional piece of writing that I have written in my free time, I do not own any characters, settings, or plot details mentioned in this story. Also, any references to other works are done so only as allusions that serve to provide additional immature humor.

**Author's Note: **Back again for chapter 4? You won't be disappointed! (Hopefully T_T) This chapter is going to be a tad more serious. Just because I decided to add in a few fight scenes, this one by the way is the result of me actually trying. The fight with Walhart in chapter 2 was, quite honestly, something I pulled out of my ass. I was rushing so it was not nearly as good as I would have liked it. I'll probably go back and edit it to fix my standards, but I'll just leave it be for now. And sorry for not releasing this last week, I'm in my last month of school right now so things are getting a bit hectic.

**Story will obviously contain spoilers**

**Chapter 4: The Master of None**

After spending about half of an hour arguing over the price of the info, Anna and the soldiers finally settled down. The four soldiers were all members of the 8th company, Georgas was a knight, Kyle a wyvern rider, Clint a horseman, and Asha was a myrmidon, all veterans who had apparently fought side by side with the so-called "Judge".

The military group was slowly becoming infamous due to the fact that they were under direct company of the mysterious new general Walhart suddenly brought into his command. The word infamous is used because several nobles within the Valmese government have been downplaying the group's role in their master's conquests; though it has been said that the Judge himself did not seem that upset about it, people say he was more amused than anything.

The man was reported as saying, "If I was doing this job simply for a lust for fame I would have been better off employing myself into a boy band."

No one was quite sure what this "boy band" that he referred to could be. Many simply assumed it was the man's slang term for the Ylissean military, and many soldiers in the army soon began to pick up the trend.

"Well boys, might as well start with the basics." Anna said as she swirled the cup of water in her hand. "Any of you know this "Judge's" name?"

"No." The four men replied simultaneously.

Anna stopped playing with her drink and stared at them, eyebrow raised. "Seriously? I don't see any reason to be paying you boys for info when you can't even give a girl something as simple as the guy's name."

"Hey it's not our fault." Georgas said, hands raised, "No one knows the man's name, everyone only knows the guy by his title, Judge."

"It's true." Kyle vouched. "No one has even seen the guy without his helmet; there's all sorts of rumors about him going around though. "

"Care to describe these rumors honey?" Anna asked as she lounged in her seat. The merchant was fully aware that, while the bulk majority of rumors were exaggerated fibs, many of them held some semblance of the truth.

"There's a lot of them, tends to happen when someone like our Judge just pops up without warning." Kyle said tapping his finger on the table as he lowered his voice, which was probably his attempt to sound more ominous. "But there's one rumor that tends to show up more than others…"

Anna beckoned him to continue, intrigued where he was going with this.

"They say he isn't human." Kyle said in a near whisper.

There was a pregnant silence for a few minutes; no one making a move for what seemed like an eternity until-

"You're really a joker Kyle!" Georgas roared as he patted his friend's back, laughing to the point his face turned red. "I mean, I know our general is scary and all, but not human? Ha!"

Kyle glared at his friend, and was about to speak up until another voiced their thoughts first.

"Actually I think what Kyle says might be true…" Clint spoke up. "There's this one rumor that keeps bugging me most of all…"

"Let me guess" Asha said as he sipped his drink. "The one where people say he's the Fell Dragon in human form?"

The rest of the table turned to Clint, pure disbelief filling their expressions.

"Hey! I'm being serious here!" Clint shouted at them. "Those rumors have some truth in 'em. I remember back before we headed out to Rosanne…"

* * *

Clint was carrying a crate full of wooden lances, all to be used by the new trainees drafted to bolster the 8th company's forces; they would need it considering there were barely 70 men filling their ranks at the moment. Clint struggled to walk as he carried the large object through the nigh empty hallway, unable to see in front of him he turned right at the cross-section—

And promptly crashed into someone turning the same corner as he was, which led to the expected result of him dropping all the lances on said person.

"I'm so sorry, are you oka…" Clint froze mid sentence as he saw just who it was he had the misfortune of bumping into. The man who was pushing himself off the floor was none other than the "Judge", the dreaded overseer that haunted their training grounds for the past few weeks, the man who not even Walhart could put down, the new lord and master of the 8th company. The Judge's six red lenses glared down at Clint as he stood to his full height.

"Ap-Apol- Apologies you-your Lo-Lordship!" Clint stuttered out as he rushed into a bowing position. "I di-did not me-mean to de-defi-defile your per-personal space!

The "Judge" cocked his head to the side, a gesture of curiosity as Clint continued his begging. After making a shaking movement with his head, the Judge then moved his hand into a sighing gesture; however the noise that came out of his helm was more akin to a growl than a sigh, which only served to unnerve the horseman further.

"At ease soldier." The Judge said in what seemed like a weary tone. Apparently it seems like this kind of incident was not uncommon for the man. "Have no fear, I am not so petty as to punish a soldier for being a tad clumsy."

The Judge then proceeded to pick up the fallen lances, return them to their container, and hand the crate to the still-frozen-stiff, Clint.

"Please do be more attentive though soldier." The Judge said as he started to walk towards the direction he was originally heading for. "You would not believe the number of… accidents, that occur do to a lack of awareness."

The Judge turned his head to look back towards Clint, and in that moment Clint managed to see something many in the company had never had seen before. As he locked eyes with the lenses of the Judge's helm, Clint saw the eye of the man who lay beneath the mask…

* * *

"And as I looked into that eye, I swore I was staring into the eyes of the Fell Dragon itself…" Clint finished with a massive sigh, accompanied by a huge chug of his drink.

"I still say you're exaggerating." Asha sighed. "I'm pretty sure the guy was just telling you to be more careful, the whole threatening to kill you thing was probably your imagination."

Clint glared at his friend. "Don't give me that 'he's probably just misunderstood' bull, saying the word accident like that made it obvious he was gonna off me!"

"I'm just saying, even though everyone treats our general like he's the devil in human form, has he even done anything all that bad?" Asha questioned skeptically.

"According to the rumors he has, but you know how people get, they see a man in scary armor, and they assume he did something to deserve that scary armor." Georgas said, his voice showing just how little he cared for the rumors. "Enough with the rumor talk, this woman came for facts, and we should be giving them. So stop gossiping like a bunch of sheep tenders!"

"Since you seem to have a good hold on you coffers, how about you start us off with the fact checking then?" Anna gestured towards Georgas.

"Fine then!" Georgas said with a huff, "While I doubt the man is an actual villain, he can certainly act like one at the very least. But there's one thing I know for sure, that man is a genius, no doubt about it."

* * *

The 8th company was on their way to Rosanne, however as ordered by their ruler, Walhart, they were preparing to combat a rebel group that happened to have their stronghold situated in their path.

Georgas was at the forefront of their convoy, he had volunteered to be the guard of the first wagon, for he had a reputation for being at the front lines at all times. But there was an oddity this time around.

To his right walked the Judge, the general in charge of their forces, matching his pace as he walked alongside the knight. The Judge was simply reading a small book as he walked along. For reasons unknown to them the Judge preferred to walk just like the regular troops, in any other leader the men would have taken this as a sign of their leader trying to fit in with the troops. But this was the Judge they were talking about, and none knew what his real intentions were.

However Georgas was not like the other men, he did not allow himself to be distracted by baseless fears, and so he gladly walked next to his leader though the man's inhuman presence still unnerved him a bit.

"My Lord, forgive me if I'm interrupting your reading." Georgas said towards the Judge, the man turning his head in the knight's direction.

"What is it Georgas?" Georgas felt a tinge of surprise that the Judge knew his name. "Does something worry you?"

"Why yes My Lord, though I must say I am honored that I am worthy of your attention." Georgas said. "I did not think you would pay attention to one of such low standing as I."

"Georgas Alevi. You are 28 year of age, the child of Isabel and Symond Alevi, both of whom served the military of Vilan before the nation was conquered by Walhart. Due to this you decided to serve the military, both to follow the footsteps of your parents, as well as to give fame to the Alevi family's name." The Judge started summarizing Georgas' life response, causing the knight to widen his eyes in astonishment. "You have a younger brother who also wishes to join the army, hoping to fight alongside his elder sibling. Currently you are not married, though it is noted that there is a woman waiting for your return, and I can assure you that she will not be disappointed since you are under my command."

"How do you know all of this?" Georgas asked the man, unable to believe the general had taken the time to learn so much about one soldier.

"How? When one takes command of an army they must learn about the soldiers that they will soon command." The Judge said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Even though I am but a temporary leader for this company, it won't change my habit of caring for my men."

"You did this for every soldier? You memorized every detail for every last man…" Georgas said his voice almost a whisper. While the company was the smallest in the entire Valmese military, remembering just the names of every soldier seemed impossible.

"Of course I have. Let's just say a certain experience of mine improved my memory a bit." The Judge answered simply. "Now I believe you had a question for me?"

"Ah, yes I did!" Georgas said as he recovered from his surprise. "I was wondering how we are going to put down this rebellion. We only have 80 men; I doubt we will be able to defeat the rebels without suffering high casualties. I have no idea why Lord Walhart thinks we will be useful in his campaign for Chon'sin."

The Judge responded to his concerns by, chuckling, or at least that's what Georgas thought it was. That helmet of his made it hard to tell exactly what the Judge's tone was, so it was either a laugh or him growling.

"There is a very simple answer to that Georgas; Walhart simply has too much faith in my abilities." The Judge said as he closed his book. The book was leather bound, strings in place of an actual spine, it appeared to be a homemade copy, most likely written by the Judge himself. Georgas could barely make out the title of the book; in stylized letters it said "The Art of War".

"You see Georgas, Walhart knows I am a bit of a perfectionist. So 80 men is more than enough for my purposes."

* * *

_So Grima, how screwed are we?_

_**Well from what I can sense, there's at least 400 men in that fort, and from what I can gleam from their minds they all are perfectly willing to kill you. Plus their all armed to the teeth with bows that makes most of our forces useless. Overall? I say we have a 15% chance of winning if we depend on standard tactics, though it could be lower since there was an area I couldn't sense for some reason…**_

Robin sighed at that. After scouting out the area they had found the rebels stronghold. A stronghold that happened to be an outright fortress, one that happened to be fully decked out with enough archers that would easily fill the sky with arrows; which is very unfortunate considering his company had no archers of their own to properly counter attack.

Add in the fact that the enemy had a territorial advantage, overwhelming advantage in numbers, and better morale and you have a wonderfully one sided odds that, as always, were against the Tactician.

The only good news he received so far was that the vast majority of the enemy troops were sell-swords, mercenaries who had no commitment to their leader's cause. So the only practical tactic was the classic "cut off the head, and the body will follow" routine.

_**I don't see how we will get their leader out of his nest. The mortal seems to actually have some common sense and is taking advantage of the fact he has numerous meat shields at his disposal. A refreshing change from you and that blue-haired servant of Naga; how you two survived so long is one of this world's greatest mysteries…**_

Robin ignored the dragon. Over the time they spent together as fellows in one container, Robin had noticed that the Fell Dragon was strangely cooperative. He had expected Grima to be more hostile considering the whole attempt to wipe out their mutual existences thing. Instead, while it felt the need to dish out a smart comment almost every spare moment, the dragon did its best to be helpful.

_**Looks like you got a visitor**_

Like now for example, Grima had given Robin a sort of extra sense. It acted as a means of sensing danger, though the most it could do was give him a general direction of something coming, and only giving a warning a second or two before he is actually hit. It was also like a passive radar, letting him know when people are nearby. However when Grima utilized this ability it could sense the life of everything around it, but when Robin used it he could only sense people in his general vicinity.

"Enter." Robin said simply. He heard a surprised gasp outside, and turned as the newcomer entered hesitantly.

"Lord Judge." Georgas greeted as he walked into the tent. "It appears Lord Walhart wishes to speak with you." The man held out a tome for Robin to grasp.

These were a heavy modification of the Anna sister's megaphone tomes. By using his knowledge of radios from the other dimensions, Robin made a magical equivalent, utilizing mages as a sort of operator for long range communication. Unfortunately Walhart had seen him testing the tome and demanded he immediately make more and distribute them to select companies.

_I'm starting to think making something like this for Walhart might have been a bad idea. _Robin thought as he theorized the strategic advantage he had unwillingly given Walhart.

_**Well you haven't exactly showed much restraint in giving him new ideas you know…**_

**Flashback:**

"… I'm telling you Walhart it's pretty much a requirement for someone like you to have their own little elite guard!" Robin said as he spoke with the Conqueror. Currently he was trying to convince him of the benefits to having his own miniboss squad.

"Robin, I believe you of all people should be aware of my philosophy, the strong are strongest when they are alone." Walhart said in response.

"Which is my point. After all what better way to crush the hopes of your enemies than to have them defeat an elite guard, only to discover that those men they had such difficulty defeating were nothing in comparison to the one who controlled them!"

Walhart rubbed his chin at that, "Your words do seem to carry some wisdom in them. Since you are that adamant, I will consider it."

Robin nodded as he mentally cheered for himself, satisfied the his persuasion skills were still

"Also, apologies for throwing off the topic, but I believe you mentioned before that the Ylissean Prince had a fondness for bear…"

**Flashback End**

_Hey I'm just trying to fulfill my duty as (temporary) villain's right hand man right now. Since I don't really have a choice in the matter I might as well roll with it… though I admit I get a bit carried away._

_**Don't we all? **_Grima said fondly. Most likely because it was remembering all of its past (future?) atrocities.

Robin once again ignored Grima's comment for the sake of preserving what moral dignity he still had left.

Robin sighed as he took the tome from the knight's hand, as well as the stone that acted as the receiver. If it was left up to him he would have chosen something more aesthetically pleasing, but since he was rushed when making the damned things he had to make do with what he had.

"Lord Walhart." Robin spoke into the stone, then paused as he waited for a reply.

A buzzing noise rang out from the tome. "_Ah, my Judge, how goes the journey?_" Walhart's deep voice echoed out from the book, distorted by the static.

"Considering you had the generosity to send me and my men to do suicide missions for you? Doing fine sir."

"_Of course, I am not afraid to be charitable every now and then._" Walhart said ignoring the sarcasm in his (temporary) general's voice. "_Then I can assume that your detour with the rebel's is also 'doing fine'?_"

Robin paused. He turned his head to look at the map he had set up for the operation, with 81 wooden figurines stood on the side symbolizing his camp, while an overwhelming amount stood on the other. And as Robin looked at the simulated warscape, he had only one thing to say.

"Snafu my lord, just snafu." Robin said frankly.

There was a pregnant silence. It seemed to last forever until—

"_HAHAHAHAHAHA!"_ Walhart's booming laugh tore through the tome. It took several minutes for the conqueror's laughter to die down, leaving the warlord with only a chuckle. "_So, just a normal day in your life Tactician?_" The man's grin was almost visible with the way he said that sentence.

"A depressingly accurate way of describing it my lord." Robin deadpanned.

The only response was another laugh from the man as the connection shut off. Robin sighed to himself as he turned around to address the knight near the doorway.

"Snafu my lord?" Georgas said in confusion.

"Code word. A new addition from the book I passed out." Robin responded with a wave of his hand, walking past the knight.

"Pardon my ignorance, but may I ask what it means?" The knight asked, slightly embarrassed since he didn't even bother to skim the new codebook.

"The situation is normal." Robin said as he walked out, the second half of his sentence murmured. "All fucked up."

* * *

"Status report." The Judge said simply, resting his hands on the map in front of him. They were mere hours away from the scheduled assault on the rebel fortress, and the scouts had just returned to share any new information. They were having a strategy meeting in the command tent, a decently sized space with nothing but a table with a large map of the area upon in.

"Enemy forces have not changed much my lord." One of the scouts said as he read the written report. "There has been some movement, mostly changing of shifts and minor formation switches, but the general layout is the same. They still have their positions optimized to protect the front gate as well as denying any air support."

"Troublesome. And what of the enemy leader?" Robin asked

"From what we managed to overhear, the leader is currently holed up in the center of the camp. He is known as the 'Bandit King' apparently."

Robin raised his eyebrow in conclusion. "Wait 'bandit' king? I thought this was a group of rebels and mercenaries, not brigands?"

"They are sir, but we aren't sure whether or not that's his title or actual name, whenever the men talked about him they always spoke of him with a 'the', so we believe it to be his title." The scout speculated.

"Oh well. Be it his name or his title it does not matter how we label a corpse." Robin said with a shrug of his shoulders.

_**How surprisingly uncaring of you Tactician. I had thought you one who cared even for the lives of enemies. **_

_I am a tactician. Apathy has always been a part of the job. What does it matter to you anyways? _

_**Nothing much Dear Tactician. I simply worry that our new circumstances might be straining you a bit more than you let on…**_

_We can discuss whether or not I'm going insane later Grima. Right now we need to figure out how to keep our body alive for a while longer._

_**As you wish Tactician, as you wish.**_

With the mental therapy session over with, Robin turned his attention to the map. He pointed at the map, a symbol for a cave adorning the area he called attention to.

"And what of this cave, is it as we thought it was?"

"Yes my lord, your intuition is as astounding as ever." The scout said, half in true admiration, and half sarcastic flattery. That's the reason Robin liked the scouts, they didn't tremble near him just because his armor made him seem inhuman. And they had a redeeming sense of humor. "We have confirmed that the cave is indeed an entrance to an underground tunnel system, the rebels are most likely using it as a convenient escape route in case they were attacked."

Robin nodded as he listened to the scout. That would make sense; with that tunnel system there it made much more sense for the rebels to choose their stronghold in this area. There was no real strategic value in the area, no natural defenses whatsoever; however with the tunnels there the decision to make a fortress in such an open area was not as daft as they initially assumed. The enemy commander was more intelligent than Robin had given him credit for.

"Should we blockade the exit Lord Judge?" The scout asked in a tone that conveyed that he knew the answer already.

"No" Robin said flatly.

"Okay I will get the men started righ-" The scout started but then stopped mid sentence as the answer was not the one he expected. "Excuse me, my lord, I am not one to question your tactics but why should we not deny the enemy their escape route?"

"Simple soldier." Robin took a glance at the book he left on the corner of the table, one he had copied onto paper from memory. "In order to capture something, one must first set it free."

* * *

Robin stood upon the ledge, gazing down upon his small army. The time was upon them, in just a few moments they would begin their assault upon the rebel stronghold, an assault that would guarantee the deaths of his men were they led by any other general. However it was his tactics they were fighting under and his tactics happen to have 0% approval for casualties.

_So I can't exactly give them the whole friendship speech to get them motivated, considering most of them assume I'm the cannon fodder user type. How are we supposed to inspire the men when we look like the villain here?_

_**Dear Tactician, whoever said a villain could not bring up the men's morale? Just look at Walhart, though his ideals are obviously twisted he still leads men by pure charisma. Villains simply have a… different flavor you might say.**_

_I see, well then if you put it that way._

"MEN OF THE EMPIRE." Robin's voice blared through the area, he was using the megaphone tome he carried with him to its fullest. "

"Here me now. As you know the odds are against us in this coming battle, we face an army that is four times our number. But that does not, and **should** not matter to you." Robin gestured towards the men, the unease within them palpable. "You are weapons of the empire, mere tools that can be disposed of and replaced. It is not your place to question where we choose you to be tossed away."

The men soldiers could only listen in disbelief as the Judge openly told them of their expendability.

"However, do not be mistaken soldiers; I am not one to waste my tools." Robin smirked as he saw the looks of confusion spread. "Though some of you may be dull, some of you do not have the share mettle as the rest, no matter the quality of the tool you are it does not change the fact you are MY weapons! And I do not carelessly toss my weapons away when I still have uses for them."

Robin continued, his hands making exaggerated gestures as he acknowledged his soldiers. His speech was changing how the men looked at their general; eyes once full of fear and hesitation were being filled with a sort of admiration for the man in front of him. True he spoke of them as mere objects, tools to be used; but he still showed them he considered them valuable. Something other generals in the Valmese army never cared to display once for them.

"Those rebels out there also see you as nothing but pawns in the Valmese army, mere cogs in the machine. They see how their numbers surpass ours and assume that their lives are more valuable than yours." Robin said, pointing in the direction of the enemy fort. "However **I **am the Judge here. And you are my men, my tools, and you are the anvil in which my Judgment shall hammer upon our foes…"

Lightning coursed through his arm, emphasizing his statement, the eagerness of his army rising at their leader's dismissal of the enemy.

"So with that said…"

There was a deep silence as Robin paused; he stared meaningfully at the group of soldiers whose lives were in his hands.

"I do believe it is time to tip the scales, is it not?"

The cheers that followed were deafening.

* * *

He walked forward, the night's cold breezed cooling his skin even through his armor. He walked at a pace that could almost be considered casual. To his left and right were his soldiers, men who have agreed to put their lives on the line on his orders. Though they knew their chances were slim, seeing their Judge treat the battle as a mere chore lightened the burden upon their shoulders.

Robin was at the center of the formation, three-fourths of his army was here surrounding him, the rest awaited nearby for his signal. The plan was simple, first they made a direct charge towards the gate, utilizing the battle formations Robin had recently learned (He was now slightly thankful for the different dimensional knowledge shoved into his brain). An obvious attack that, while the enemy could easily handle, they still needed to devout all their attention to it. Once there his mages would then focus their magic upon the gate, basically being used as door breachers, and then their forces would force their way into the stronghold to distract the archers. And when that was completed…

_**They rain death upon you Tactician.**_

Robin looked up as he sensed the wave of arrows descending upon them. In response to the imminent hail of pain falling towards them that only he knew was coming, Robin said only one thing.

"Testudinem Formate"

And with those two words, an order spoken in a dead language only Robin could understand, the soldiers around him immediately formed together. The men in the center raised their shields upwards, the front held theirs at ready, while the sides linked theirs to fit with their comrades. The result was much like turtle shell of pure metal, and when the arrows came they were blocked and deflected with ease, not a single one piecing the defensive formation.

"Moveo" Robin said simply, and with that command the armored shell became mobile, and marched towards the gateway as arrows continued to fill the sky.

* * *

"The hell aren't they dead yet!" The mercenary captain screamed out at the archers stationed at the walls.

"They just won't go down sir!" One archer said in a panicked tone as he fired off another shot. "Them Valmese troops are using some weird ass formation and no matter how many arrows we shoot at 'em they just won't stop!"

A loud crash suddenly sounded out, interrupting them.

"Sir, they're at the front gate!"

"Then fire down on the dastards! They can't just waltzed in here and expect to live when you shoot at them point-blank!"

"We're trying captain, but they stabbed their shields into the wall, our arrows can't reach them!"

"Damn it. I'm surprised those Valmese managed to get this far, and these tactics are just ridiculous, yet they're Naga damned working!" The captain slammed his fist into the wall. "Well at the very least we know they can't get past the gate. I have no clue where the big boss got that thing, but I am sure as hell grateful for it…"

* * *

_All tasks at hand have been cleared. All that's left is to open the gate and launch the signal._ Robin thought as he stood underneath the cover the shields provided. Since they could not maintain the formation properly when they reached the walls it was decided that they line up against the fort and stab the tools into the walls for protection. It was an on the spot decision but the gambit was working well.

_**I can tell the enemy commander is still cozy in his position. No doubt he thinks his men can take care of us no problem. However there's something off. I can sense the general just fine but there's an… emptiness near him, like a gaping void moving next to him.**_

_A wha—_

"Lord Judge!" A soldier cried out, interrupting Robin's question.

"What is it soldier?"

"It's the gate sir, the mages are firing all they have onto it yet it isn't blowing!" The man said in a slightly panicked tone. "They say the metal is nullifying their magic or something!"

Robin frowned at that. This new twist was one he was not pleased with at all, the destruction of the gate was a vital part of the plan.

_A metal that can nullify magic? Does such a thing truly exist? _

_**I am not quite sure myself, though I do not that legendary weapons like the Falchion and the holy weapons have a similar quality within them. **_

Robin decided to take matters into his own hands and walked towards the center of his dilemma.

"My lord…" One of the mages breathed out, clearly exhausted by the amount of effort they put into trying to destroy the doors. An effort rewarded with not a single blemish upon the metal's surface.

Robin gestured for them to stop their attacks, and the men did so immediately. The Judge then held his hands forward, and a torrent of lightning spewed forth from his palms.

* * *

"Are these men idiots?" The captain said out loud, watching from above as the man in armor, the enemy general he assumed, fired an endless stream of lightning at the gate. "Just because you can fire off more magic won't make it work any better 'gainst that door."

"Captain!" One of the gate guards cried out to him.

"What is it?" The captain replied casually, not worried at all.

"The gate sir! The gate its, its melting!"

"Wha—"

* * *

Fun fact about magic, while people assume that it allows people to do the impossible, that is untrue. Magic is always bound by the rules of the world; in fact magic is simply the act of simulating natural occurrences in the world in an unnatural fashion.

A magic tome is like a remote, when a mage wants to fire a ball of fire they send a mental command, which the tome analyzes and then projects the wanted function. But that's all magic can do, each attack is a one-hit wonder, a tome can only process one command at a time. And that is where magic differs from sorcery. While in terms of pure fire power magic is superior to sorcery, a bolt of lightning from a magic tome is far stronger than one from the palms of a sorcerer. However sorcery, while weaker, has more uses. It can be fired off continuously without pause, overcharged to devastating effect, and is not restrained by a single choice of spell. But sorcery's greatest use, and the reason why Robin was so comfortable with it, is its versatility.

When a mage fires off a lightning bolt that's all it can do, a single strike of lightning to smite their foes. But when Robin uses his lightning, he can use it for anything he can apply it to. From electrocuting foes, to manipulating magnetism, this ability truly suited him the most. For Robin's specialty lies not just in his strategic mind, but in his ability to adapt to nigh any circumstance on the fly.

Like sorcery, Robin is a very versatile being. If he had the urge to, he could learn to be a Pegasus knight anytime he wished to. While he could possibly never obtain the levels of skill Cordelia and Sumia possessed he would still be a decent force in combat. And that is where he excelled the most, adapting to his position on the spot, changing his role in battle when it suited him, he was not a knight but a tactician, a man who lived by pragmatism.

And it is this ability to use unconventional tactics, which allowed him to bypass this gate despite its ability to nullify magic.

You see even though the metal of the gate disperses the wave of magical lightning assaulting it, it cannot nullify the non-magical aspects of the lightning. In other words, while the lightning itself disappears, the heat that comes with it does not. And it is that heat which is causing the metal wall to burn a bright red, slowly boring a melting hole within the fortress. And within the span of a few minutes, the Judge had tipped the scales in his favor.

Robin stepped back, pleased with his, modification, of the fortresses final defense. And with a single nod from his head, his soldiers charged forth through the gap. And Robin stood there, waiting as an orb of power built up within his palm.

"Damn, they got through!" The captain screamed out. 'All men stand you grou—"

The captain did not get to finish his command, for a sudden blast of energy bolted through the melted gate, flying into the middle of the air before exploding in a flash of light. Every soldier within the base was blinded by the flash, and they were soon deafened by the roars that followed.

For the last quarter of the Judge's army had arrived, signaled by the explosion of light, the Wyvern riders filled the sky, and upon each of them was a mage, the passenger raining destruction down upon the blinded archer's positions.

"Well then it appears as though everything is going as expected." Robin said nonchalantly as his men tore their way through the fortress. "Georgas, care to report on casualties?"

The heavy knight looked upon him, his face full of sheer amazement. "My lord, as of right now there are… zero reported casualties for our forces."

"Just as planned" Robin said with a smirk.

_**Careful, you're starting to channel some Tzeentch there buddy.**_ Grima said, though his voice conveyed as similarly smug feeling.

_Hey, I indulge myself in a bit of pride every now and then too._

"Well then Georgas. How about we pay a visit to this "Bandit King" we have heard so much about."

* * *

"I must say, "Judge", I am quite impressed." The Bandit King said as he stared down at the armored man in front of him. "To assault my compound with a meager force of 80 men, and use that attack as a simple diversion for your air units to bombard us from above? And you made it look like we had a chance to escape through the tunnels, only for you to ambush us soon after we exited? You must be quite a tactical genius to be able to plan to such an extent."

"I must say I am also impressed, though for reasons completely different from your own." Robin replied dumbly as he stared at the "Bandit King". While Walhart could be described as a giant, the only word that could do this beast justice was colossus. He stood a good eight feet tall, his muscles ripped to the point where he could only where a simple shoulder pad, for any other garments would tear from his sheer mass. He was a bald man of light complexion, his face bore an expression that screamed defiance, and his eyes burned with determination. To sum up the man, his whole presence screamed two things, rebellion, and pure strength.

"I'll ask you one thing Judge." The Bandit King said as he waved back his men, a gesture telling them this was to be one-on-one; the sell-swords complied without hesitation. "Why does someone like you serve a tyrant like Walhart? Just from the fact that you chose not to collapse the tunnel upon me while I traveled within it shows that you hold some semblance of honor."

"You want me to be honest with you?" Robin said, also gesturing for his men to back off, though they gave looks of worry they also complied. "I don't."

The Bandit King raised his eyebrow at that. "Then why do you fight for the dastard, surely you see his means of achieving peace are misguided?"

"Let's just say that circumstances have made it so that I am temporarily under Walhart's employ." Robin said with a shrug. "So unfortunately we are enemies of circumstance, not beliefs."

"I see, that is indeed fortunate." And with that the colossus reached behind his back, pulling out an absolutely massive broadsword that suited one of his size. "Then I suppose I am obligated to at least give you a good death as an apology." The man smirked, his voice suddenly filled with battle lust.

"I'll take care to give you the same courtesy then my friend." Robin said politely as he drew his longsword. While he found the katana's abilities, to be put it bluntly, awesome, they just were not applicable to many situation. And being the practical man he was, Robin saw simple longswords as more useful.

Robin then slid his left hand against the blade, a motion he used in order to augment it with the element of his choice with his sorcery. And when he finished the movement Robin stared at his sword… blankly as it did not change in the least bit. No lightning, no fire, no red special effects, nothing.

_The Hell! What happened to my sorcery! _Robin screamed out in his head, as not even a single spark came out of his hand.

_**Something is denying us that power, that void I saw before is here somewhere blocking off our connection with the "hole". I can't tell where the void is though, my sensory abilities depended upon your sorcery…**_

_Damn it. I guess I'll have to do this the old-fashioned way. _

Robin moved into his newly created sword stance, leg bent in front, blade bent downwards, scraping the ground. A stance that resembled a dragon readying its claws.

_**Try not to die Robin.**_

And with that, the Judge launched forwards, blade whirling forth. Once more Robin lived the only way he knew how; through war.

* * *

Sword crashes down.

Dodge right.

Move left as blade rises diagonally.

Slice towards joint.

Retreat.

Move back.

Jump over horizontal swing.

Fist connects with face.

Twist to the right.

Compensate for fall.

* * *

The battle that commenced was one that could almost be considered a dance. The Bandit King swung his blade with the grace of a swan, with the force of a rhino behind it. Each swing of his blade carving new scars upon the earth, each step he took shattered the ground beneath his feat.

Robin on the other hand flowed like water. He dodged each strike by the slightest of margins, swooping in and striking his opponent with each opening he made. Despite popular belief armor does not weigh down a man much; a soldier in a normal full plate of armor was not hindered much. In fact one could even do cartwheels if they felt like it. And Robin took full advantage of the speed he had. While he could not handle a direct blow from his opponent it did not matter if he could dodge every attack.

Or at least that's what Robin would like to say.

_WHAT THE HELL! IS HE USING NANOMACHINES OR SOMETHING! _The Tactician screamed in his head as his blade slid across the Bandit King's skin, and doing not even a scratch to it.

_**Well from what I can tell, his body is so massive that his skin is basically hardened to the point of being like steel. **_Grima said, you could almost imagine the dragon pushing up a pair of glasses on its nose with the way it said that.

_That makes absolutely no sense scientifically and you know it. _Robin deadpanned as he ducked under another swoop of the broadsword. Counter attacking as he did so, but once again his blade failed to penetrate the colossus' skin.

_**Well what do you want me to say! That the guy was born with iron skin? Considering just how much the world loves you, if I did that the dastard would go all hollow on ya!**_

_Whatever! Is there anything useful you can do right now?_

_**There is but…**_

Robin dodged right, the tip of the Bandit King's broadsword tearing a long gash in his gauntlet as he barely evaded the blow.

_Tell me already! If you haven't noticed we are gonna die in approximately 20.8 seconds if you don't hurry!_

_**Robin, I can help you, mostly by enhancing your strength and speed by a slight margin for a short period of time. However the cost of it…**_

_Cost?_

_**Basically you and I have to become one.**_

_I thought we already were? _Robin said confused, as he evaded a flurry of swings.

_**We are only from a certain point of view. You are my vessel, one who carries my blood in its purest form; however our connection is only that of possessor and container. We are not truly one being.**_

… _So I assume that we need to be one to survive this?_

_**Yes. In order to use the powers of Grima one must be Grima. In order to use my abilities, as degraded as they are right now, you must accept that you are me, and I am you. **_

…

_**In other words you will not just be my vessel, but my avatar, the physical manifestation of my being in this plane.**_

If this was only a few months back, a time before Robin journeyed to the past, then he would have refused with no hesitation however for some reason—

* * *

They stood surrounded by darkness, nothing but a black abyss surrounding them.

The dragon stared down, its massive form filling the emptiness with feelings of despair, hopelessness, sorrow, and isolation.

The boy stood there, hand outstretched, speaking words the dragon never thought any mortal would ever say to it.

And in that moment, they promised to one another—

* * *

—Robin knew he could trust the Fell Dragon this time. For its voice did not convey the feel of a demon offering its contract to a foolish human, but a friend reluctantly giving an ultimatum. The Tactician did not even need to hesitate.

_I accept._

_**Are you sure Robin? If you do this, you will lose the last bit of humanity you still had within you…**_

_I don't care. If I have to become the monster this world fears to protect it, so be it. I will challenge every obstacle fate has in store for me, and I—WE will overcome it._

_**Very well then… Grima.**_

Robin shuddered as he felt his body suddenly shift, it was as if every molecule of his body was being torn apart and rearranged in a single moment. His body felt both cold and hot. His heart beat as though he stored two within his chest. His arms burned with a strength they hadn't possessed before.

And underneath his helm, his eyes glowed red as his pupils slit vertically.

And with the change within him occurring in what may have only been a second, Robin burst forwards, the force of his sudden movement cracking the ground where he had previously stood.

The Bandit King's eyes widened in surprise as the Judge seemed to almost teleport to his side, the blade slicing through his hardened skin. Blood, finally being spilled from the wounds.

_Thank you… Robin._

The Bandit King glared at him as he clutched his wounded arm. The look in his eyes shifting from determination, to pride induced rage.

_Damn it. Even with the enhanced strength it isn't enough…_

The cut, while able to piece the skin, was only a shallow one. Barely a paper cut for a man of that size. Not even the temporary power Grima bestowed upon him was enough to hurt the man shaped beast.

"**JUDGE!**" The Bandit King roared as he charged forth, broadsword raised in a fashion that screamed for the death of its victim.

"NO CHOICE THEN!" Robin cried out as he rushed forward blade swinging forth in an attempt to land a killing blow before the Bandit King had a chance.

Lightning fast speed v.s unstoppable strength. This was the concepts that ran against each other in this final strike.

* * *

Now then the events of this moment are seen differently from person to person.

* * *

**Georgas' Perspective**

The Judge rushed forward blade in hand, seemingly doing one final rush just like the rebel leader.

However the Judge was no fool.

At the last moment he bent down on one knee, quickly swerving upon the ground and knocking his opponent off his balance.

And as the giant of a man fell, what awaited him was the Judge's blade, the general holding the blade to point behind him, and piecing through the rebel's impossibly hard skin as though it were paper.

Without a single word, the Judge pushed the corpse off of his blade, letting the giants body tumble to the ground.

There stood the Judge, in all of his glory, triumphant, as the blood of his foe dyed his armor red.

* * *

**Robin's Perspective (AKA What Really Happened)**

Robin rushed forward, putting every muscle in his legs to their limit, making use of what little power Grima's contract with him gave him to boost his speed as he charged towards his opponent.

Unfortunately Robin was not quite used to coordinating his body with his and Grima's senses merged together, and so he tripped. Over a pebble. One that ironically happened to come from the crater he created when he first sped towards the Bandit King.

In an attempt to balance himself, Robin bent down on his knee, but then accidentally twisted himself as he messed up the timing.

This would have been really bad news for the Tactician,if it wasn't for the fact that the Bandit King had also tripped. Over the exact same pebble that Robin had, and the Bandit King fell upon his blade.

While falling on the sword would not do too much damage to a normal person, due to the Bandit King's massive weight the force of the fall nearly tripled what it normally have been. Thus allowing the blade to piece right through the man's body.

Ironically it was the Bandit King's greatest strength, his mass, that killed him in the end.

And as Robin pushed the extremely heavy body of his foe, he and Grima could only think of one thing as they stared at the corpse of their opponent. One that died a less than dignified death.

Well that was anti-climatic.

* * *

**Omake 2: Pari Passu**

**Author's Note: **While the majority of my Omakes are comedy stories, this is one I made to give more insight into this version of Grima. Since the story is actually kind of sad I thought it would be best to put it into this chapter since it was a tad more serious than the previous ones.

"Hey Grima." Robin said to draw the dragon's attention, at the moment they were using his inner world to work on reviewing troop reports, city security, grocery lists, executions; you know the normal stuff.

**"What is it Tactician? Finally decided to get a girl, or is "Operation Maintain My Eternal Chastity" still in effect? **

Robin wisely chose to ignore most of that sentence. While Robin had his fair share of shippers back in his time with the Shepherds, Grima took the "Try and get Robin to go on a date" thing to a whole new level. Who knew the Fell Dragon was such a romance buff?

"I was just wondering…" Robin muttered as he turned to face the dragon. "Why do you always take that form?"

Robin asked this question because Grima, instead of lazing about in his "True" form, was currently laying in the grass in Robin's appearance. Every feature of Robin's exterior was mirrored by the Fell Dragon to the very last detail. It was the same form he took when Robin first (consciously) met Grima, and the form he took when he ended him as well.

**"I don't quite understand what the issue is Tactician." **Grima said, its brow creasing in confusion.

"Well, I mean you're a being of immense power right?" Robin explained as he got himself into a thinking position, hand on his chin. "While you yourself said you were not a god, I doubt something like shape shifting was out of the question."

**"Correct. My appearance is quite malleable; in fact my so called "True" form is one I made just to increase the intimidation factor"**

"Interesting point, but off-topic" Robin said with a wave of his hand, he decided to store that in his "Future Conversations with his Inner Demon" folder he stored in his mind. "What I mean to say is, you could have picked the appearance of anyone, you could have confused us by taking on Chrom's appearance or maybe pretend to be Lucina. Yet you only choose to mimic my appearance."

**"…." **Grima was, surprisingly, silent as Robin started his questioning.

"And then there was that whole "You and I are one and the same" thing you kept going on about. Right now we are literally the same, but back then we were still two separate beings." Robin continued, not noticing Grima's growing signs of discomfort at the conversation. "At the time I was nothing more than your future vessel, you were a Dragon God that had existed for millennium, yet you kept talking as if we were equals. And then there was the fact that you were fixated on having me be your vessel. I've done my research. While Validar was not the perfect candidate; he should have been a suitable enough vessel for your needs."

Grima continued to stay silent, its gaze fixed on Robin.

"Basically, I want to know why you treat me so differently from everything else. Even now, despite being reduced to nothing more than a voice and my head, you treat me as though we are... friends almost."

**"Why you ask?" **Grima finally spoke, its voice strangely melancholic.

* * *

**"So this is Validar's spawn?" **Grima, in his humanoid form asked. He wore nothing but a black robe, the inside of the hood completely engulfed in shadow, for he found no face worthy enough to fill it.

"Yes, this is my son. His name is Robin." Replied the woman, her white hair flowing down to her waist, her brown eyes staring lovingly at her child. This woman's name will be one never recorded in the pages of history, yet it will be her future actions that will allow future stories to be written.

They both watched the child play with his toys, he wore an over-sized coat, one emblazoned with the markings of the Grimleal, his short white hair an oddity for one his age. This was Robin, at the tender age of six, being raised isolated from all others in order to prepare him for his role as vessel.

"My apologies my lord." The woman said as she turned towards the monster in human form. "But was Validar not suitable enough to be your host? Must my child bear the burden of your blood in his stead?"

**"Oh? How wonderfully arrogant of you _Woman_ to question my will so directly." **At this point in time Grima was not one for pleasantries, preferring to be direct, always cutting to the point. **"If you must know, it is because I happen to share your lack of fondness towards that fool. His mind is too clouded with the inane doctrines the Grimleal filled his useless skull with. While his blood is pure enough for me, the mind is severely lacking."**

And with that Grima walked towards Robin, crouching down to face the boy as the child stared at the unknown figure, curiosity in his eyes.

**"Which is why a clean slate is required…"** And with that Grima forced itself into the child's mindscape.

* * *

_While I did say clean slate, I did not mean that literally to this extent… _Grima thought to itself as it viewed what Robin had for his inner world.

Empty.

That was the only way to describe it. Most children his age would have their home, or perhaps their favorite playing area as the scenery for their mind. But this child had nothing, nothing but a black abyss.

_Truly Validar and his followers did an exemplary job of denying this child any experiences in life. _Grima thought in what might have been disgust.

The boy looked around himself in confusion, a bit startled at the sudden shift in his surroundings, yet strangely he was not panicking nearly as much as a normal child would in his situation.

After a few moments the boy finally took notice of the elephant in the room, for Grima chose not to present himself to Robin in his human disguise, but in his "True" form, in all its horrifying glory.

**"Behold offspring of man!" I. AM. GRIMA." **Grima bellowed out, doing the obligatory possessor to vessel introductions. **"I am that which will bring despair and suffering to the world. My wings shall blot out the sun. My armies shall feast on the living. My voice will ring through as the death throes of your species echoes back."**

Grima continued his speech towards Robin, who was, despite all logic, simply sitting there as though his mother was telling him a bed time story.

_Seriously? The hell did Validar do to this kid?_

**"I am the Fell Dragon that eternally haunts this world, and YOU are the vessel that will allow me to arise once more." **Grima continued, explaining to the boy his purpose. **"We shall become one and the same, for my blood flows through your veins." **

The child still sat there, but for some reason it seemed more intrigued by something than confused, its eyes locking with Grima's.

**"So child, what do you think?"**

Robin tilted his head, his hand on his chin in a thinking position. And after a minute or so the child decided to speak…

"Mister Grima, are you lonely?" Robin asked, a sympathetic look on his face.

If it was possible for something its size to face fault, Grima would have done so. Instead it opted to move its head at such speeds that its neck cracked, the sound louder than a thousand thunder claps. That response was one Grima was definitely not one it expected.

**"I beg your pardon child. Are you daft?" **Grima asked incredulously. **"Me! The Fell Dragon lonely, what gave you that impression?"**

"Well mommy always did tell me I was good at judging people." Robin explained. "And when I looked at your eyes, and I must say you do have quite a number of eyes Mister Grima, I thought you looked really sad…"

_This child… this Robin is quite a strange one, is he not?_

"And well, I don't have any friends myself; Validar said companionship was for the weak or something like that." Robin said as he waved his hand. Must be some sort of unconscious habit of his. "So I know when looking at someone when they don't have any friends either!"

This child was confusing Grima more and more with each passing moment. A child having compassion for, and even empathizing with the Fell Dragon! The very idea was making Grima's head reel.

"So with that said…" Robin looked away shyly, scratching his head out of embarrassment. "Do you want to be my first friend?"

**"Child has your mother dropped you occasionally or something?"** Grima's brain had pretty much fired at this point. **"You are but a cub, and I am a dragon who many see as a god; surely even at your age you can see the divide?"**

"Hmmm, true…" Robin nodded, but then his head bolted up and he raised his index finger, as though having an epiphany. "But you said we are going to be one and the same right!"

**"I don't see how that's releva…"** Grima started, but was interrupted as Robin continued, excitement filling his voice.

"Mommy always said that it's best to understand someone by imagining myself in their shoes!" Robin said as he ran forwards towards the Fell Dragon's lowered head. "So if you're me, and I'm you, then that means neither of us would be lonely ever again!"

Grima was truly dumbstruck. An unknown feeling rose within it as this boy continued to defy all of its expectations.

"Well then _Robin." _The boy said as his face erupted into a smile. "I'm _Grima_, would you be my friend?" The boy asked as he raised extended his hand towards Grima as if waiting for a handshake.

For some reason, all Grima could think about was how that boy's stupid smirk seemed to be brighter than the sun itself.

* * *

"So gentleman, would you kindly let go of that poor girl before I introduce you a realm of pain you can scarcely imagine?" Robin, now in his early teens, said in a sweet tone.

The group of boys in front of him scattered as he gave them the so called "Grima Glare" a name it will be given by his future friends.

"You're not too hurt are you?" Robin asked in a worried tone as he reached down to grasp the girl's hand, lifting her up.

"I'm fine" The girl managed to say, as she dusted off her clothing.

"That's good; it's a real shame that those boys have nothing better to do than bother a pretty girl such as yourself." Robin said, that stupid grin of his adorning his face.

The girl flushed at that, and managed to stutter out a quiet thank you as she walked away, face reddened.

_That boy would have been quite popular with woman if he was able to live that long… _Grima thought sadly as he walked towards Robin. Grima was like a shadow to Robin now, wherever Robin went Grima was always somewhere nearby. And wherever Grima went, Robin was quick to follow.

Grima's humanoid appearance had seemingly changed little over the years, yet when one looked closely they would see just how much the Fell Dragon had shifted. Where once under his hood there was nothing but darkness, now, though still obscured by shadow, underneath the hood lay a face that mirrored Robin's own.

**"Dear Robin." **Grima called out to the teen, he had taken to calling Robin that for quite a while now, a show of affectionate that was rarely seen from the dragon. **"I have to ask, why are you always so damn polite to those whelps? They don't deserve any show of respect from you, so why bother?"**

. "Well I don't really see any reason not to. Just because those guys did not feel like showing respect doesn't mean I have to sink that low." Robin laughed as he waved his hand. "After all…"

Grima raised its eyebrow in curiosity as Robin turned towards him, deliberately prolonging his sentence.

"I see no harm in being polite to people before doing anything to them." And that smile of his crossing his face once more. "It is simple common courtesy you see."

* * *

**"Might I ask just where you think you are going?" **Grima questioned the white-haired woman as he blocked the doorway.

In the woman's arms, was Robin, asleep in his mothers arms, unaware of the drastic change occurring.

"Robin is... sick, and I need to get him to a doctor right away lord Grima." The white-haired woman feebly replied. Already knowing it was pointless to lie to the robed monster. She had seen the full extent of what Validar was willing to do to obtain his twisted world, and she could not stand by and let her son undergo such things.

Grima stared at her for what seemed like hours to her, prolonging the death she knew she would receive from the Fell Dragon. The beast soon opened its mouth to sentence her to her dea...

**"Feel free to go then."**

**"**I beg your pardon?" The woman asked in pure shock, there was no possible way the dragon believed that fib.

**"Well, are you not in a hurry? It is not good to keep Robin waiting for treatment. After a..." **Grima turned meaningfully to the Plegian palace. **"It's not exactly healthy here for the boy." **

"The woman nodded her head in understanding, and silently made her way past Grima, giving only a single glance over her shoulder as she began her journey out of the nation.

**"Well then, I suppose I should get ready to go scream at Validar for losing my vessel in a few hours..."**

* * *

"What manner of sorcery?!" One of the Ylisseans cried out as Grima removed his hood. Displaying his appearance for all to see. In front of him, Robin stood mouth agape, eyes wide in confusion.

"He looks just like… me." Robin muttered as Grima's gaze pierced through him.

**"My name is Robin." **Grima said in a mocking voice. **"Oh and that was YOUR name as well, wasn't it? What a strange coincidence…" **

Grima meant that as a joke, a quip only he and Robin could understand. However he was only met with a feeling of emptiness as Robin's face contorted into one of disbelief, not recognition.

Validar made some smart comment, but Grima chose to ignore him in favor of observing Robin's reactions.

_He truly does not remember… _Grima sadly thought to itself.

Their attempt to become one had failed, Robin's body rejecting Grima for reasons unknown. Grima was worried that Robin would have suffered some negative effects, but to completely forget his previous life; their own promise to one another? Robin, the only one who had truly understood the Fell Dragon's existence, sent into the arms of Naga!

Truly fate had a cruel sense of humor.

* * *

Grima panted, the last of his energy fading away. He was beaten; the heroes have one, just as they were always meant to. And now Grima waited, waited for the Exalted to strike the final blow and give him the sleep that he wanted.

But as the Exalted charged, holy sword in hand, Grima locked eyes with Robin. And in that moment Grima saw the look of determination filling the Tactician's being.

_I see… so that is the choice you have made._

To them it must have seemed like Grima was futilely trying to prevent its defeat, however that was not the case. With its last bit of power it stopped the charge of the Exalted, not to prevent the final blow from being struck, but to allow another to do so in the Exalted's place.

There stood Robin, using the same dark magic that Grima used, fueling a spell that would end both of their existences.

_Because only Grima can kill Grima, isn't that right Naga?_

"…Robin?!" The blue haired man cried out. But Grima ignored him, turning his attention to Robin, and Robin alone. Grima did so while crying out the obligatory death cries that fitted the "villain" of this story.

"You know, for once I'm glad you and I are the same." Robin says in the most serene tone he has ever spoken. "Now I can give my life to protect those I care for..."

_You have so many friends now, truly mine is not the only existence you have brightened…_

"I would and I will. The evils you would visit on this world are unthinkable" Robin responded to Grima's fake death throes, Grima itself not even paying attention to its own words. "In some way, I—we share the blame."

_I'm happy for… I truly am. Because you are…_

"It's only right we meet our end together!" Robin shouts out as he hurls the mass of energy.

And with that final blow, the beings that were both Grima and Robin thought they had met their end. Both satisfied that they would die together, dying as one, but for entirely different reasons.

* * *

**Back in the present**

**"Why you ask?" **Grima said. **"No particular reason. No reason at all."**

Robin tilted his head, Grima's current tone of voice foreign to him.

**"I just like to think that you and I are beings on equal footing."**

* * *

**Author's Note: **And that's it for chapter 4. This chapter was actually going to be 3 times longer since I was planning on adding both Rosanne and the Chon'sin invasion into it. But it was taking too damn long.

And sorry once again for not updating last week, school has been rough the past couple of weeks.

And about the Omake chapter, first off, sorry it's a bit serious but I wanted to give Grima more characterization. Secondly, if you're wondering why Robin and Grima's relationship is so differently from cannon Awakening then I have one term for you, A.U. In this continuity Grima actually met Robin when our little Tactician was but a boy, and as you can see the experience changed it quite a bit.

If you did not like the seriousness of this Omake, do not fear! My next three or so are all comedy ones.

I'm hoping to finish up the Valm arc in the next four or so chapters so stay tuned. And to make up for not updating, here is a new feature for my story; NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEWS!

**EDIT: **As many of you have surely noticed, the grammar/punctuation/spelling is several times worse than the errors I made in the previous chapters. Unfortunately I only had a good five minutes of free-time to edit this chapter so the results are quite sub-par. So I would appreciate it if you guys could point out specific/most cringe-worthy mistakes when you review. Thank you guys for your continued support of this story!

**EDIT #2: **If any of you are wondering why the Omake was titled number 4, that's because it was actually the 4th one I wrote. I just thought I should release it early, though I sadly forgot to change the title to numero 2; quite embarrassing really.

Anyways besides that I have also made more corrections to the stories grammar, punctuation, and whatnot, though I still have not gotten the chance to do a full proofread; to put it into perspective I have 2 tests everyday for this week, as well as 3 essays due (one of which is a research paper) while I also have a final project, and then after that final exams for all of next week. I just love school.

By the way, just so we are clear "moveo" is not a typo, it's Latin. Basically I've been doing a lot of research into military tactics both ancient and modern, so you might have noticed the ones I've inserted into here. In the main story Robin was always looking for tactics books to read so naturally he would try to read up on ones in other dimensions as well; hence why he copied down The Art of War. AS for why he is using Latin words for commands, well the Roman's used them and I thought "Hey what better way to make sure your enemies don't know what you're doing than making your commands in a dead language that doesn't exist in that world!". I'm a history buff, so expect some references here and there whether it be military wise, political, or social.

While I'm at it I might as well announce the projected timeline for the story. As of right now I'm planning on the Valm arc (AKA first year before main story) to end in 2 chapters (At most 3). After that I'm either going to move into Plegia, or Regna Ferox (I'm leaning towards Plegia since I have a few ideas having to do with the unbalanced minds there). Then I am going to move the story into Ylisse where we will eventually transition into the plot of Awakening, one that will be heavily altered due to the changes that Robin had unwillingly brought.

As for other things I'm planning, well I might as well say it now, I am going to be introducing an OC into the story. BUT DO NOT WORRY. The original character was made only for comedic reasons (Seriously. I literally made a whole character solely for the sake of one joke.).

Also want to make a shout-out to the User Axel's World for pointing out the Lucina thing. I personally did the whole "Avatar" thing with Robin because I wanted to see how that would effect the way the two interacted. I felt like Robin being the vessel of Grima was a plot point that wasn't really used much in the actual game (It was mainly just a plot twist, a cool one, but still just a plot twist) so I thought it would be fun to experiment with. Plus It was a nice way of expanding on one of the themes of this story; hint it has to do with the armor, being Grima's vessel, and his role as tactician.

(Damn. That was a really long edit...)

* * *

**Chapter 5 Preview **

**(Quotes may or may not make it into the actual chapter)**

"It takes guts to insult someone in their own language ya know."

"I am Virion! Duke of Rosanne and the finest archer in all the land! If you happen to be a fair lady underneath all that tin then I would appreciate it if you would aid me in stringing my… bow?"

"Silly Minerva, I have not met this man before! At least I do not believe I have…"

"Well hello there Nurse Joy! About time you showed up."

_Are they seriously giving me the whole 'this is my name and my invincible abilities' speech?_

_**I think you went a bit trigger happy with the whole, burn everything to a crisp around you, feeling there. I mean all the charred corpses are a nice touch, but the collapsing floor thing is a bit inconvenient.**_

_Going by that logic then that means freakin' OWAIN is going to be the most overpowered person on our side. That's messed up._

"I am Yen'Fey. King of Chon'sin. I apologize for killing you."


	5. UPDATE (Placeholder for Ch5)

**UPDATE/ANNOUNCEMENT THINGEY**

(Temporary placeholder for chapter 5. A tad rushed so sorry for any grammar issues.)

Sorry for the long delay, I've been so busy lately I haven't had the free time to even get this update out. I really cannot apologize enough for being unable to give a status report on the story until now, but every week I've been saying to myself "I'm finally going to be able to write out chapter 5!" and then I get a lot of real life issues that drain me of my ability to do so. Basically a lot of things I don't feel like talking about (I'm not the type of writer who uses this site to vent, I feel like it's attention whoring) suddenly come out of nowhere that prevents me from actually writing.

But don't worry; this story is not going to die. Though I hate to say it, it is going to have to be placed on a small hiatus until I have everything sorted out. From my guesstimate, I should have chapter 5 out near the end of September. Now just so you understand, I have chapter 5 (And 6 by the way) completely outlined and everything, but I haven't been able to actually write the damn thing out. Kind of frustrating really.

As a kind of apology to you guys I might as well use this to clarify what I hope to achieve in this story, and my current plans.

First off, I finally have a clear idea of what I want to write. Initially I just had a general concept in my head but no real idea of where the story would head, to the point where I had no idea who I wanted the antagonist to be (Since Grima obviously can no longer fulfill that role… or could he?). But now I know exactly who the big bad of the story will be, and the story arcs I want to do.

Another goal I have in mind is to focus a lot on the characters that don't get much of the spotlight. I find that a lot of stories on this site don't give some of these characters justice. The characters in Awakening are all so unique and quirky that I am disappointed that most people don't give them enough screen time. Hence why I did what I did to Grima in this story.

While I'm not going to give each character a made up background like I did with Grima (To be fair, I didn't have much to work with since his vanilla role in Awakening was kind of dull), expect them to have much more presence in this story. Gregor, Miriel, and Virion are a few I look forward to writing about. From their perspective of course, while I love writing Robin and Grima's thoughts, there is a reason I made this story third-person omniscient.

Then there's question that has been bombarding me since the very first chapter of this story; what will be the pairing. I have actually taken quite a bit of thought into this subject. Originally this story was going to be devoid of the romance aspect, instead focusing on the dynamic between Robin and Grima, and the effects they have on the world. But because there was a VERY large demand for it, I decided to reconsider. As for exactly who the love interest is, well I won't spoil. I will note however that I made this decision not on my personal preference, instead I thought about the point of this story (I.E making use of unused plot points from the vanilla game) and the choice became rather obvious.

Now to address some possible concerns that was brought up. Yes there are some crossover-esque aspects in this story (Some mingling with the other Fire Emblem universes is quite probable). NO I AM NOT GOING TO BRING FREAKIN CHAOS MARINES INTO THE STORY. I am not a fan of just randomly shoving out of place characters into my stories. If I ever do anything like that I would only use it to make Robin get the crap beaten out of him by a Chaos Knight (At least get the genres right people).

As for Walhart, I purposely did not focus much on him when I introduced him because I have a lot in store later on. And while it seems like I am ignoring the "hole in dimensions" plot point, I'm really not; just intentionally avoiding the subject for later on in the plot.

Now last but not least I plan on changing the title of the story to something more concise. I'm thinking of removing the SNAFU part of the title simply because I think that a lot of people won't get the joke. Also, REJOICE MY READERS, for I am also planning on doing a full editing of all previous chapters to make reading a smoother experience.

With that said, I hope you have the patience to deal with the delays (I know I don't), and I hope you continue reading this awful mess of a story I have here!

Sincerely, Hollownerox

**TL;DR: Story is delayed due to real life BS. Story is actually planned out now. Title change and editing will be done in the future.**


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